The Human Side of Cybersecurity · 2026-06-03 · 9 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
1 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
This special episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity features Dan Desco interviewing his nine-year-old son Luca during bring-your-kid-to-work day. Rather than diving into technical security topics, the conversation explores what a third-grader observes about his father's work life in cybersecurity - meetings, calls, podcasts, and the physical toll of desk work. Luca offers a child's perspective on workplace culture, proposing practical rules like no work calls during vacation and suggesting office snacks ranging from granola bars to Arnold Palmer iced tea. The episode touches on entrepreneurship, app innovation (a one-touch house-building app), and workplace automation through robots that deliver snacks and clean offices. While unconventional for a cybersecurity podcast, this personal episode humanizes the industry by showing how professionals balance demanding careers with family time and the importance of work-life boundaries - themes relevant to anyone managing burnout in high-pressure tech roles.
Luca identifies meetings, calls, work trips, and making podcasts as his father's main work activities, noting his strength in making calls in particular.
Luca would implement a rule preventing work calls during vacations, emphasizing the importance of relaxation time when employees are on trips.
Luca suggests honey for tea, oat granola bars, salt and vinegar chips, Arizona iced tea, and Arnold Palmer drinks - avoiding candy but including healthier options.
Luca invented a one-touch app that allows users to press a button and have a builder construct a house for them.
Luca believes adults should run businesses because young children lack basic knowledge like the alphabet and keyboard skills, though older kids like himself could potentially manage a business.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
This episode contains zero B2B insights. The entire runtime is a father asking his 9-year-old son about sports preferences, office snacks, and imaginary robots, with no actionable content for any B2B operator.
What snacks should every office have?
Salt and vinegar chips.
There is no original thinking of any kind relevant to B2B. The episode is a novelty segment with no intellectual contribution whatsoever.
If robots worked here, what would those robots do all day?
They would, uh, do work. And like, well, not do work actually. They're like deliver all the things that you want.
The guest is a nine-year-old child with no professional experience, seniority, or domain knowledge relevant to cybersecurity or any B2B discipline.
I'm Luca, and I'm his son.
Nine.
No data, metrics, company names, dollar figures, or any concrete business evidence appear anywhere in the transcript.
I'm, um, learning about, like. Well, because I'm in third grade. I'm taking the pssa.
The host is warm and clearly enjoys the moment, but every question is a softball aimed at a child; there is no probing, no follow-up of substance, and no attempt to extract any learnable insight.
If you were in charge of the company, what would be rule number one?
You think kids should run businesses instead of adults?
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
In this special edition of the Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, sits down with a guest unlike any other: his son, Luca Desko. The conversation covers leadership and entrepreneurship through the eyes of a young leader, from what it takes to run a company, to the importance of rest, to what the ideal office snack situation looks like. Luca also shares his early instincts on entrepreneurship, technology, and what he would build if given the chance.It is a lighter episode, and an honest one. A reminder that behind every security leader is a full life, and that the human side of this work goes well beyond the job. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave review, it helps more people find the show! Want first access to future interviews?
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Luca Desko: Foreign.
Dan Desko: Welcome to a special edition of my podcast. I have a special guest here today with me, Luca. Hello. Nice to have you here. Would you introduce, uh, yourself to the audience, please?
Luca Desko: Uh, I'm Luca, and I'm his son.
Dan Desko: How old are you?
Luca Desko: Nine.
Dan Desko: M. Nine. All right, what are you doing here today?
Luca Desko: We're bringing your kids to work day.
Dan Desko: Awesome. Um, have you been having fun?
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: All right, cool. Well, I've got some questions to ask you because you're a very important guest here. Can I ask you a few questions?
Luca Desko: Yeah, sure.
Dan Desko: All right, let's do it. All right. I want to know all about you. Inquiring minds want to know about Luca. What do you think you're great at right now?
Luca Desko: I think I'm pretty good at golf. Totally. And I just thought baseball, but I feel like I'm getting good at that too.
Dan Desko: Yeah, I think you are. I think you really are. Yeah. And you enjoy playing both, right? So both are a lot of fun. It's been fun watching play baseball.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: I love having cats with you. That's. That's super fun.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Um, what do you like doing most these days when you're hanging out?
Luca Desko: I like hanging out with you and going on boys trips with you.
Dan Desko: Oh, I like. I like going on a little boys trip too. That's always fun. We like to travel. That's one of our family core values. Explore, right?
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Go on adventures.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Awesome. So what's a great day look like for Luca?
Luca Desko: Great day would be, like, sports. All my favorite sports in one day. Baseball, golf, soccer. Like, three tournaments of golf. Like, free baseball games and, like, free soccer games.
Dan Desko: Wow. All one day.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Wouldn't you get tired?
Luca Desko: No, man.
Dan Desko: And, ah, then at the end of the day, maybe we could, like, go to a baseball game and watch the Pirates play and eat our favorite foods and just pig out. Yeah, that'd be awesome. Cool. I love that. Sounds like my perfect day too. What are you learning about lately in school?
Luca Desko: I'm, um, learning about, like. Well, because I'm in third grade. I'm taking the pssa. I'm taking PSSA practice practices, but now I'm finished with the pssa, so now I don't know when to learn because I just finished the pssa. It's a day ago.
Dan Desko: Oh, man. Okay, well, time to learn something new.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: You've done great on those tests. What are you most proud of right now?
Luca Desko: Uh, proud, uh, of you for working.
Dan Desko: Oh, yeah. Well, thank you. That's very nice. I'm proud of you, too, for trying all these different sports and being, uh, exploring all these different sports and learning new things, so I'm proud of you too, bud. Thank you. All right, I'm gonna ask you questions about Daddy's job. So what do you think I do at work all day?
Luca Desko: Meetings, calls.
Dan Desko: Yep. That's. That's pretty accurate. Yep. Sometimes I go on trips and things.
Luca Desko: Yeah. Work trips. Just like yesterday, you just got home from one.
Dan Desko: Yep, yep. Those happen from time to time. What do you think Daddy's good at? At work?
Luca Desko: Making calls.
Dan Desko: Oh, yeah. I'm great at that. I'm great at making calls. You're right.
Luca Desko: Making podcasts.
Dan Desko: Making podcasts. Uh, what do you think is hard about my job?
Luca Desko: Like, sitting in the office all day.
Dan Desko: Yeah.
Luca Desko: And, like, doing all the text messages. Your hands. We get tired.
Dan Desko: Like, I agree. That is the hard part.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Staying chained to the chair all day.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Gotta move around from time to time. Right.
Luca Desko: Just. Yeah, just like my pssa. Some glued in my chair for, like, two hours.
Dan Desko: I know that's a lot.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: You like to be room free. Right.
Luca Desko: Couple.
Dan Desko: Couple more questions. If you were in charge of the company, what would be rule number one? What would be the first rule you would implement?
Luca Desko: The first rule I would implement would be, like, I'd say, like, lots of calls and if. And, like, if I say, like, if, like, I'm on a trip and, like, this is my, like, vacation, I want, like, any calls. I would, like, say that.
Dan Desko: Okay. So when. When you're on vacation, no calls. Time to time to shut down, maybe.
Luca Desko: Yeah. Time to relax.
Dan Desko: Yeah. I need some relaxation time.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Yeah. Okay. All right. That's a good rule. You think kids should run businesses instead of adults?
Luca Desko: I think adults should run businesses because let's say if like, a baby was running a business, like, she. They can't even sing the ABCs.
Dan Desko: Yeah.
Luca Desko: They don't even know the keyboard. Wouldn't let this.
Dan Desko: Yeah.
Luca Desko: Right.
Dan Desko: So that'd be kind of hard. Right?
Luca Desko: You could. A phone gator could do it.
Dan Desko: Yeah. So you can run a business, you think?
Luca Desko: Yeah, I think.
Dan Desko: You good. Definitely. Okay. You're an entrepreneur. I like that. Now, really important question that I know this is, like, very near and dear to your important question for you. What snacks should every office have?
Luca Desko: Oh, honey.
Dan Desko: Honey. Okay. Yep. For your tea.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Okay.
Luca Desko: A drinks.
Dan Desko: A. Yeah, drinks.
Luca Desko: Hot tea.
Dan Desko: Hot tea.
Luca Desko: Let me think. Honey. Okanola balls.
Dan Desko: Oat granola bars.
Luca Desko: Yeah. I want my baseball game.
Dan Desko: Yeah. They're good.
Luca Desko: Yeah, I know. Because I like oats.
Dan Desko: You do? You eat healthy yeah, yeah. Ah, you're good.
Luca Desko: Mhm. I would also say no.
Dan Desko: So no junk food in the office? Well, no candy.
Luca Desko: Salt and vinegar chips.
Dan Desko: Salt and vinegar chips. Oh my gosh. Yep. I love that. Uh, what about drinks? What about cold drinks?
Luca Desko: Amazon iced tea.
Dan Desko: Oh, yes.
Luca Desko: And the one really my favorite. Arnold Palmer.
Dan Desko: Yes. We love Arnold Palmer's. I love that. Okay, all right, let me ask you to use your imagination. If you had to invent a company right now, what would it do?
Luca Desko: It would, it would be like, uh, your company.
Dan Desko: Another cyber company.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Oh, I like that.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Well, what if, what if it wasn't cyber, what would you do?
Luca Desko: I'll be, uh, like professional golfer.
Dan Desko: But is that a company or a job job?
Luca Desko: I would be, I'd say, uh, maybe like news, like a reporter.
Dan Desko: Oh. Maybe share the news. You can do like a, like a news station.
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Kids news station, maybe. Yeah, that's cool. You could do news on golf.
Luca Desko: Yeah, that's the one I like.
Dan Desko: For other sports. Yeah. Ah, kids news, like. Oh, kids sports news.
Luca Desko: Like it's reported.
Dan Desko: Oh, yeah. Very cool. I like that idea a lot, buddy. Very good. Um, if you made an app, what would it help people with? If you can make an app like on your iPad.
Luca Desko: This is a hard question, because they make apps for like everything. No.
Dan Desko: Yeah, it's like what hasn't already been created, you can make an app for. That's hard.
Luca Desko: Oh, uh, like a, uh, app. You just like press that app button and then you can like order any builder to like make it a house for you.
Dan Desko: Wow, that uh, would be cool.
Luca Desko: One touch app.
Dan Desko: One touch app and they just make a house. Boom.
Luca Desko: Yeah, that's cool.
Dan Desko: You can help build houses for people. Yeah, that's cool. I love that a lot. If robots worked here, what would those robots do all day? Uh, and what sort of sounds would they make? Like.
Luca Desko: They would, uh, do work. And like, well, not do work actually. They're like deliver all the things that you want. So like, instead of like getting up and like getting into the kitchen and getting all the snacks, they would just like walk right over and there's like a tablet on them. You just press what they want. They have like sensors there to like, see what she wants. Yeah.
Dan Desko: Uh, or maybe like a robot that could help even like clean up the office after daddy. Because Daddy's always making messes. Water the plants. Yeah, I said it first. Jinx. Jinx. Let me ask you the, uh, rapid fire round. Okay, so I'm gonna give you kind of two choices and you get to pick one? Mhm. Okay. Rapid fire. Quick. Yeah, don't think about it. Super quick.
Luca Desko: Right. Okay, Quick.
Dan Desko: Ready?
Luca Desko: Yeah.
Dan Desko: Okay. Three, two, one. Pizza or burgers?
Luca Desko: Pizza.
Dan Desko: Beach or mountains?
Luca Desko: Beach.
Dan Desko: Oh, really? Okay. Early mornings or sleeping in?
Luca Desko: Early mornings.
Dan Desko: Yep. Sports or video games?
Luca Desko: Sports.
Dan Desko: School or summer break?
Luca Desko: Summer break, of course.
Dan Desko: Money or fun?
Luca Desko: Fun.
Dan Desko: Superpower. Flying or invisibility? Flying. Flying. Really? Um, dog or cat?
Luca Desko: Dog.
Dan Desko: CEO. Businessman or athlete?
Luca Desko: Ah.
Dan Desko: Businessman or athlete?
Luca Desko: Athlete.
Dan Desko: Good job. Well, that's Luca Desco. I'm Dan Desco, his dad. And really, uh, appreciate you joining our show here today. You've got some great things to share. You surprised me with a few things today, so really enjoyed having you here. Being with me at work today. This is always my favorite day of the year. Um, well, thanks. Maybe, uh, maybe you'll be back on the podcast again? If your schedule allows, yes. Okay. That's awesome. Anybody else I should invite to the show?
Luca Desko: I don't really know.
Dan Desko: All right, well, you think about that. You let me know when you get a chance. Okay?
Luca Desko: Yeah, I'll be having a school.
Dan Desko: Yeah, sounds good. All right, well, thanks, everybody. Wave goodbye.
Luca Desko: Bye. Uh,
Other episodes covering the same guests and topics, from across The B2B Podcast Index.
Kabrina Ashley with Onramp ConsultingThe Industrial Talk Podcast Network · on work-life balance77 / 100
Stop Managing Hours. Start Managing Outcomes.The Plumm Pod · on work-life balance72 / 100
Scaling With AI Agents: Automation Secrets for Agencies and Business Leaders with Alane BoydThe B2B BRAND180 Podcast with Linda Fanaras · on Podcast production71 / 100
Sean Munafo on Hiring Better, Building Culture, and Leading with AuthenticityPillar Talk · on work-life balance71 / 100
Adapting to Rapid Technological Changes, with Grant WalshIT Matters · on work-life balance68 / 100
Unravelling the mysteries of the brain part 2The DNA of Work · on work-life balance68 / 100
The Human Side of Cybersecurity with Adam Markowitz, Founder of Drata62 / 100The Human Side of Cybersecurity with Adam Gunnett, VP of BI & Strategy at Busy Beaver63 / 100 The Human Side of Cybersecurity with Dawn Cappelli, Head of OT CERT at Dragos78 / 100The Human Side of Cybersecurity with Jamie Giroux, CISO at Platinum Equity59 / 100The Human Side of Cybersecurity with Jon Garza, CISO at PSA BDP