MARTESclass - The WHYs

WHY MARTESCLASS EXISTS

“MartesClass” is a playful nod to “Masterclass” — a term that gets thrown around in every tech talk, roundtable, and fireside chat these days. I’ve been part of that world for decades: presenter, guest, panelist, moderator. Those sessions helped shape my career as a CISO, CTO, and CIO.

But let’s be honest: most of those discussions feel bitin. Too formal. Too filtered. Too safe. You rarely get the full story — the real story.

And every time I tried to inject humor or loosen things up, the room would suddenly come alive. People opened up. The conversation became human again.

So now that I’ve stepped away from the corporate grind — before hitting 60, proudly “been there, done that” — it’s finally time to build the show I always wished existed.

A show that’s the opposite of a roundtable. The opposite of a fireside chat. A show where experts can drop the corporate armor and just talk.

I’ve always believed people open up when the atmosphere is relaxed. I’ve seen it happen in earlier podcasts I joined. But I also know guests still need a safety net — so I created the 403 Protocol. If a question gets too spicy, too sensitive, or too close to corporate secrets, they just say Error 403 and we pivot instantly. No pressure. No awkwardness.

And that’s how MartesClass was born.

“Martes” because we go live every Tuesday at 8 PM. “Class” because every episode is a lesson — not from textbooks, but from real stories, real failures, real wins, and real wisdom.

This is the tech show I’ve always wanted to watch. Now I finally get to host it.