When you’ve been shaping technology for four decades, perspective comes naturally. 
We sat down with Phil Mounsey-Smith, Bitpool’s newly appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO), to talk about how far tech has come, what’s stayed the same, and why he still believes the best engineers are those who stay curious. 

You’ve been in technology for more than forty years. What’s changed the most and what hasn’t? 

Phil: 
When I wrote my first line of code, computers were the size of refrigerators. We used floppy disks, dial-up modems, and waited hours for compiles to finish. Today, we’re running AI models that process terabytes of data in seconds. 

But the truth is, not much has changed that really matters. Every generation thinks it’s living through the biggest revolution, but the fundamentals of good engineering are still the same - curiosity, craftsmanship, and community. 

Curiosity drives you to ask “what if?” long before “how much?” 
Craftsmanship makes you refine, test, and perfect, even when no one’s watching. 
And community turns solitary problem-solving into shared progress. 

Those three things have carried me through every wave of my career, from mainframes to microservices and AI. 

Tell me about your journey to Bitpool? 

Phil: 
I’ve always loved solving problems and helping others do the same. I don’t think of myself as a CTO, to be honest, I just like building things that make people’s work easier and more meaningful. 

When I joined Bitpool, what drew me in was more than the technology, it was the purpose. We’re building a platform that makes building intelligence accessible, human, and transparent for everyone. I’m just happy to be guiding both technology and product through the same lens. 

You talk about the importance of the journey rather than the destination. What does that mean for you? 

Phil: 
The result is just a milestone. The real growth happens in building, experimenting, failing, and fixing. 

I’ve seen so many engineers burn out chasing speed or perfection. The best work arrives from consistency – like anything in life. Keep showing up, keep learning, keep improving, and you’ll build something that lasts.  You never really “arrive.” You just keep finding new ways to learn and contribute. 

How would you describe your leadership style? 

Phil: 
I’d say my leadership mirrors my code - clean, efficient, and scalable. 

I trust my team to make decisions, take risks, and own outcomes. When something goes wrong, I don’t jump in to correct it, I ask what we learned. Failure handled well becomes experience, experience shared becomes culture, and that’s how you build a strong team. 

You’ve seen several major technology revolutions. How do you keep your perspective through the hype? 

Phil: 
Patience, mostly. 

In the 1980s, we were already talking about neural networks. The problem was, the hardware wasn’t fast enough to make them useful. Today, with cloud and edge AI, those same ideas are finally practical. 

Innovation often looks like rediscovery, old dreams revisited at the right time. 

So when I see the hype cycles, noise around AI, IoT, or automation, I focus on what’s real and in front of me. Technology will always amplify intent and if your intent is good, in our case to make things simpler, safer, more sustainable, the outcome will be positive. Initiatives driven by ego or control have the opposite effect. 

What’s your view on trust and culture inside a technology organisation? 

Phil: 
Trust is everything, in data and in people. 

We build trust into our platform technically, through data quality and transparency. But culturally, it’s the same principle. You can’t innovate in an environment built on fear. And our CEO, David Blanch really advocates for that. 

Empower people, give them ownership, and they’ll surprise you with what they deliver. That’s the Bitpool way, high trust, high accountability, low ego. If you’ve met us, you’ll have seen that culture running through our business. 

Outside of work, what keeps you grounded? 

Phil: 
Family, fitness, and curiosity are my trifecta. 

When I’m not architecting systems, you’ll find me in the gym or reading about emerging tech, markets, and currencies. I like to stay sharp, mentally and physically. 

My wife and I immigrated from New Zealand twenty years ago, raised two kids, and built a life we’re proud of. We came here for opportunity, and we’ve thrived. 

Success, to me, has never been about titles or recognition. It’s about balance and enjoying the process as well as the progress. 

What’s the legacy you want to leave at Bitpool? 

Phil: 
Honestly? People. 

I’m proudest of the engineers who’ve grown under my mentorship, the culture of trust we’ve built, and the sense that the next generation will take Bitpool further than I ever could. 

The technology will evolve, it always does. But if we get the culture right, everything else follows.