Freestyle Fridays - Big AI, Bigger Layoffs, Same Old Problems?

Shane Gibson just published a book - The Information Product Canvas. We discuss his journey as an author and publisher, why shared language is critical in data projects, the iterative processes that can enhance data team efficiency, and the role of canvases in business strategy. We also get into how AI might evolve the landscape of data and publishing.

Does today's use of AI coding agents remind you of a drunken high school or college party? Just like people discovering drugs and alcohol for the first time, I feel like the tech and data industry is in a similar place. "Just vibe..." is the mantra now.But when I talk with developers and data practitioners in private, I get different vibes. There's definitely a concern that we're collectively building lots of slopware and are setting ourselves up for trouble as an industry.

Kostas Pardalis (Co-Founder @ Typedef) joins me to chat about the rapid evolution of AI and data infrastructure, next generation architectures, and much more

In this episode, I unpack how Big Tech is using massive AI investment to justify mass layoffs. All of this AI projects keep failing for the same reasons every other tech wave and IT project has: bad data, org problems, etc. Will AI be different?

Shane Murray (Field CTO Monte Carlo, Former Head of Data NY Times) joins me to chat about the impact of AI on data teams and business strategies, data observability on unstructured data, and more.

I'm very type-A and goal-oriented to a very unhealthy degree. In this rant, I explain how I'm slowly letting go of this and instead focusing on long-term sustainability.

Madison Schott joins me to chat about about her journey from working as an analytics engineer to creating content about dbt, SQL, data modeling, and more.

Are you vibe coding? Using Claude Code, Cursor, etc? I really don't care. I also talk about the power of no, Spartan Races, and more.

Peter Hanssens is an Australia-based data engineer, business owner, and community pillar. He runs Cloud Shuttle, a data engineering consultancy and organizes DataEngBytes, a series of meetups and conferences throughout Australia and New Zealand. We chat about building data engineering communities, running conferences, and much more.

Aaron Neiderhiser (CEO of Tuva Health) has an audacious goal of improving US healthcare analytics. It all starts with the data. Aaron discusses his journey and obsession with making sense of the gigantic mess of US healthcare data.