A frank preview of a Helsinki unconference celebrating its 20th year and pivot to AI. They explain the open-space format and how topics get chosen. The conversation covers who shows up and why the crowd is unusually diverse and experienced. They debate the surge of AI in development and promise contrarian sessions and lively skepticism.
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insights INSIGHT
CITCON Is An Unconference Focused On Conversation
CITCON is an unconference that prioritises practitioner-led conversations over presentations.
Sessions are proposed and voted on Friday night so Saturday's schedule reflects what attendees actually want to discuss.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Attendees Choose CITCON With Their Own Time
Jeffrey and Douglas describe how CITCON attracts highly engaged attendees who use their own time to attend.
The selection bias yields deep cross-pollination between developers, QA, ops, executives and others across global events.
insights INSIGHT
Continuous Integration Has Matured Over Two Decades
Continuous integration and testing have matured since 2006 so fewer fundamental questions remain.
The field shifted from basic adoption questions to variation in practice across organizations and domains.
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Want to join Squirrel on his anti-AI protest? CITCON has had a rebrand to CITCON:AI, which Squirrel is in equal parts excited and cynical about. On this episode, CITCON founder, Jeffrey, and enthusiast, Squirrel, discuss what you can expect from the 20th anniversary of the “anti-conference” in Helsinki on 22nd & 23rd May 2026.
SHOW LINKS:
- CITCON Helsinki: https://citconf.com/helsinki2026/
- "The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed": https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/01/24/future-has-arrived/
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You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com
And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com
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About Your Hosts
Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing profitable organisations through better communication.
Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, and he's helped over 300 companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes. You can find out more about his work here: douglassquirrel.com/index.html
Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, and is an accomplished author and speaker. You can connect with him here: www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/
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