This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Ryan Janssen and Paul Blankley from Zenlytic. The discussion explores the evolution of language models, their academic journeys, and the transition from consulting to founding Zenlytic. The group delves into the balance between data-driven insights and human intuition in decision-making, the challenges of making data accessible for non-technical users, and the significance of understanding both data and human intuition in driving business success. The episode also touches on the importance of context in data analysis, the future of AI in analytics, and so much more. 

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Ethan Aaron and John Steinmetz. Ethan is the CEO at Portable while John is the VP of Analytics at Gallo Mechanical. During the conversation, the group explores the intricacies of data work including a discussion around the distinctions between data teams and product/engineering teams, emphasizing the importance of aligning data initiatives with business goals. Ethan and John share their career journeys and insights on building effective data teams, the concept of data contracts, the analogy of data management to plumbing, the importance of self-service analytics, the need for data teams to be seen as profit centers, and so much more.

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Patrik Devlin, Co-Founder and CTO at Wilde AI. During the conversation, Patrik talks about his background in software and data engineering, his startup experiences, and the technical intricacies of Wilde’s predictive lifetime value (LTV) product. Key topics include the use of DuckDB and Mother Duck in data architecture, the realities versus marketing of data clean rooms, and the evolution and technical challenges of QR codes. Patrik also discusses Wilde’s data-sharing strategies, the importance of developer experience, future directions in data processing technologies, and more.

This week on The Data Stack Show, it’s another edition of the Cynical Data Guy as Eric and John welcome Matthew Kelliher-Gibson. The group dives into the complexities of data management in the business world. They critique LinkedIn posts, starting with the announcement of Salesforce’s AI product, Agent Force, discussing its implications and marketing language. The conversation then shifts to the value and waste of data, emphasizing the need for strategic data collection aligned with business goals. They also explore the challenges of real-time data requests and managing legacy systems, offering practical advice and humorous insights on navigating the evolving data landscape. Don’t miss the latest edition of the cynical data guy!

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Taylor Murphy, Founder and CEO of Arch, a data analytics platform. Taylor discusses Arch’s evolution of its vision and delves into the challenges and innovations in the ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) space. The group also discusses the impact of AI on data analytics, the importance of modern data practices. And how AI can enhance data teams’ capabilities, emphasizing the necessity of human expertise alongside AI. The episode also explores the commoditization of data storage and compute costs, the bundling of data services, and so much more. 

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Jonathan Bragdon, Founding Partner and CEO of Capacity, a venture capital firm. Jonathan shares his journey from consumer packaged goods (CPG) and data technology to venture capital, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer interactions and the challenges of funding early-stage startups. The conversation explores the venture studio model, operational expertise, and the evolving landscape of data usage in business. Jonathan provides insights into the complexities of raising capital, the significance of founder passion, the need for innovative funding strategies in the startup ecosystem, and so much more. 

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Angelica “Jelly” Spratley, a senior data science instructor and content creator at Flatiron School. Jelly shares her journey into data science, her experiences at the Disney Data and Analytics Conference, and her role at Flatiron School. Key topics include the importance of being industry-ready, project-based learning, and self-advocacy in professional development. Jelly also discusses the challenges of working under non-technical managers and the value of technical knowledge in leadership while also data work to business value and continuous learning. Don’t miss this great episode!

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John talk about the complexities of reporting and analytics in the data industry. They discuss the evolution of job titles, the critical need for standardization, and the challenges of effective reporting. The conversation also highlights the importance of observability, consistency and effective communication between data and business teams. Eric and John also touch on the impact of AI and automation on data quality and reporting processes and emphasize the need for a collaborative approach and robust monitoring systems. This episode provides valuable insights for enhancing data-driven decision-making in various business contexts and so much more.

This week on The Data Stack Show, it’s another edition of the Cynical Data Guy as Eric and John welcome back Matthew Kelliher-Gibson. The group shares personal anecdotes about their experiences with data projects in corporate settings. They discuss the challenges and successes of working with pricing data and web scraping, emphasizing the importance of understanding manual processes before implementing automation. Eric recounts a project where his team improved data accuracy using a neural network, while John highlights the benefits of manual data review. The episode balances cynical and optimistic perspectives, offering valuable insights into the technical, business, and human aspects of data work. Don’t miss this edition of the Cynical Data Guy.

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Soheil Koushan, a member of the Technical Staff at Anthropic. During the conversation, Soheil discusses his journey from self-driving technology to his current work at Anthropic, focusing on AI safety and cloud capabilities. The conversation also explores the allure of machine learning, the challenges of ensuring AI safety, and the dynamic between research and product development. The group emphasizes the importance of responsible AI development and the complexities of defining safety across different cultures while also highlighting the transformative potential of AI and the need for ongoing dialogue about its implications, and so much more.