In this episode, we speak with Matt Campbell and Ricky Flores about the secret talent hiding inside one of the world's largest electronics distributors: engineers who can truly tell a story. Both started in traditional engineering roles before moving into technical marketing, where their job is turning complex hardware into solutions other engineers actually want to use. Key takeaways: • The best technical storytellers are engineers first. You can't translate what you don't understand. • Knowing your audience is the whole game. Students, working engineers, and buyers each need a different version of the story. • Buttons are coming back, and the reason is about how tech should feel, not just what it does. • AI is a hardware story too, and most takes on automation miss what the silicon is actually doing. • RF and 5G show up in more places than people realize, from satellites to edge devices. • Soft skills and steady learning are what turn a good engineer into a great communicator.
(00:00) Intro and meet Matt and Ricky
(03:00) Backgrounds: Matt's engineering-adjacent path and Ricky's 15 years at TI
(04:03) What TMEs actually do, plus the bunny suit story
(08:02) Cool projects: STM32N6 and the $22 Synaptics Astra 1680
(14:01) Communication as an engineer's secret weapon
(21:03) Favorite verticals: AI, RF, and the Maxwell statue tangent
(27:00) Hot takes: hardware is the other half of AI, and the button comeback
(34:02) Why they like working at Mouser
(36:00) Career advice: GPA, study groups, and what engineering school skips
(41:01) What people don't know about Mouser, from same-hour shipping to robotic arms
This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our go-to source for electronics parts for any hobby or prototype.
Want to learn more? Check out the links mentioned by our guests during this episode:
--
As always, you can find these and other interesting & impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com. To learn more about our show, please visit our shows page. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published. Be sure to give us a follow and review on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!