The DEX Show: A Show for IT Change Makers

Recorded live in Lisbon at Nexthink’s SKO last week, this special and emotional episode of The DEX Show sees host Tom McGrath say goodbye to longtime co-host, DEX evangelist, and friend Tim Flower. From the humble beginnings of the podcast during COVID to more than 200 episodes and a global stage, Tom reflects on Tim’s immense impact on Nexthink, the DEX movement, and the community around it. Joined on stage by special guests Tracey Downer and Nexthink founder and CEO Pedro Bados, the conversation celebrates DEX Ops, innovation, culture, and a decade-long journey that helped shape an industry — with laughter, gratitude, and more than a few handkerchiefs.

Learn more about Spark here: https://nexthink.com/platform/spark

The full panel comes together to mark Tim Flower’s final appearance on Reality Bytes, reflecting on his impact, insight, and anchoring presence over the years. Alongside the goodbyes, the conversation turns to a landmark moment for Nexthink: the release of Spark. Framed as a pivotal shift in the capabilities of digital employee experience, Spark is explored through real-world stories and personal takes, including how it empowers employees, reduces IT friction, and redefines support.

A fittingly forward-facing send-off for a Reality Bytes and Nexthink legend. 

Learn more about Spark here: https://nexthink.com/platform/spark

In a full-circle moment for The DEX Show, Tom and Tim welcome guest speaker, Forrester’s new Digital Workplace & DEX analyst, Christy Punch, for her first podcast in the role—echoing the show’s very first Forrester guest back in 2020.

The timing is bittersweet: it’s also Tim Flower’s final month as co-host, marking a major transition for the podcast.  

Christy draws on two decades as a practitioner to unpack why DEXOps is now essential: post-pandemic tool sprawl, fragmented experiences, and the need to connect experience data to business outcomes. The trio explores cross-functional governance over “one-team ownership,” and Tom and Tim ultimately discuss how agentic AI (and Nexthink Spark) accelerates the shift from reactive support to proactive—and increasingly predictive—experience operations.

Learn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees here 

Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here

The Matrix hits different.. when you're in the Matrix.

The team rings in 2026 by reflecting on past predictions—and charting what’s next. From eerily accurate calls on AI consolidation to the unsettling prescience of The Matrix, the conversation looks ahead to a pivotal shift: from conversational AI to operational “do-bots,” the challenge of measuring real enterprise value, and the growing risks of over-automation.

With vivid examples like Waymo literally stuck on the tracks, the episode digs into productivity versus jobs, human-centered design, and the possibility of the first true AI crises. As Tim put it post-show: “AI isn’t off the tracks—it’s on the tracks.” Is this really what the coming year will look like?

Learn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees here 

Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here

Kicking off 2026, Tim and Tom welcome Nexthink Chief Product Officer Samuele Gantner and first-time guest CTO Vedant Sampath for a candid “three pillars” deep-dive on enterprise AI. They explore how AI is reshaping product and engineering: new tooling, new development cycles, and the shift from deterministic software to probabilistic agents—plus the critical role of evals, benchmarks, guardrails, and performance. Then they unpack Nexthink’s three-pillar framework: AI for IT (proactive operations and the path to zero tickets), AI for employees (trusted, contextual self-help via Spark), and AI for the business (visibility, governance, and measurable ROI).

Tom also pays tribute, on behalf of the DEX Show team and Nexthink, to the late Alan Nance—remembering a generous, funny, and foundational voice in the DEX community.

Learn more about Spark, The World’s Most Powerful DEX Agent for Employees here 

Download The First Annual Workplace Productivity Report here