Outperform

Datadog
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  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Outperform is a show dedicated to unlocking the full potential of your business and product by scaling experimentation for data-driven decisions and innovation. Every episode is packed with cutting-edge strategies and practical insights for data scientists, PMs, and engineers alike. We’re exploring topics ranging from A/B testing and AI to creating a culture of experimentation within your organization. Discover how businesses win by driving innovation and better decision-making!

Episodes

  1. 8H AGO

    How Do You A/B Test SEO and GEO? Title Tags, Traffic, and the Truth

    What does it really mean to run SEO as an experiment instead of a checklist? In this episode, we’re joined by Will Critchlow and Mat Reiss to explore the evolution of SEO and AEO/GEO A/B testing — from enterprise-level experimentation frameworks to a super simple way for any team to get started: title tags. Will breaks down the fundamentals of SEO and AEO/GEO testing and how it differs from traditional user-based A/B testing. Because Google effectively acts as the “audience,” experiments must split pages rather than users and be implemented server-side so crawlers can see the changes. We discuss why organic traffic is a stronger measure of impact than rankings alone, how counterfactual forecasting helps isolate true lift, and why modern SEO increasingly feels like experimenting against a black-box, AI-driven system. Then I called up Mat to help us get real practical, really quickly — with “title tags”, what he calls the “last mile” of search performance. He explains why small copy changes can meaningfully increase click-through rate without improving rankings, shares a case study that drove a 30% traffic lift from a simple tweak, and outlines how teams of different sizes can begin testing title tags without heavy engineering resources. In this episode: How SEO and AEO/GEO A/B testing differs from traditional experimentation Why organic traffic is often a more reliable KPI than rankings The statistical and structural realities of page-based testing Why title tags are an underused but high-impact growth lever A real-world example of a 30% traffic lift from a simple title change When SEO testing becomes viable for small and mid-sized e-commerce teams

    38 min

  2. JAN 29

    The State of Feature Flagging in 2026

    What’s going to happen with the adoption and development of feature flagging tools in 2026? Just ask Aaron Silverman. As an engineering manager at Datadog, Aaron has spent the past year speaking at conferences, meeting engineers, and talking with teams around the world about how they actually use feature flags and why adoption still looks so uneven heading into 2026. In this episode, we explore the current state of feature flagging and A/B testing, and how teams are evolving their approach as systems scale and risk increases. Aaron shares lessons from working directly with customers, explains why the biggest blockers to adoption are cultural rather than technical, and unpacks the hidden costs of building custom feature flagging solutions. We also discuss what’s next, including deeper integrations with observability tools and designing flags with their full lifecycle in mind to reduce friction and technical debt. In this episode: Where feature flagging adoption stands heading into 2026 Why cultural and habit-based barriers slow adoption more than technology How feature flags reduce deployment risk and improve customer experience The hidden complexity of building DIY feature flagging systems What’s next for feature flagging, from observability integrations to smarter flag design

    28 min

  3. 12/11/2025

    From Data Scientist to Marketing Leader w/ Sundar Swaminathan (ex-Uber)

    What happens when data science meets marketing?  Just ask Sundar Swaminathan. As the former Head of Brand Marketing Data Science at Uber, he measured and optimized over $1 billion in marketing spend across campaigns. Now he’s taken his career in a slightly new direction as a “marketer with some data science skills” instead of a “data scientist working on marketing”  In this episode, we explore the intersection of data science and marketing, and how analytical skills, curiosity, and clear communication shaped Sundar’s career and Uber’s marketing strategy. He shares lessons from leading high-stakes campaigns, applying data-driven thinking to brand and performance marketing, and why culture is just as important as technology. Sundar also talks about Experimental, his podcast and newsletter, that helps marketers become more data-savvy and strategic to drive real results. In this Episode: How data science skills can transform marketing strategy The role of curiosity, communication, and culture in leadership Insights from leading Uber’s brand, performance, and lifecycle campaigns Lessons for marketers aiming to make data-driven decisions Sundar’s perspective on building a career at the intersection of analytics and marketing

    37 min

  4. 11/03/2025

    How Fyxer AI Runs 20 Experiments/Week with 4 Growth Engineers

    Imagine a team where each stage of the customer funnel has its own growth engineer experimenting fast, guided by data, and powered by AI. Today’s episode dives into how Kameron Tanseli, Lead Growth Engineer at Fyxer AI, blends code, marketing, and curiosity to drive high velocity growth. Tanseli shares how tools like Codex and Greptile turn AI into an accelerator for rapid iteration and why culture, not just technology, keeps that engine running. In this Episode: The evolving role of growth engineers at the intersection of tech and marketingHow AI tools enable faster, smarter experimentationThe culture behind Fyxer AI’s speed—transparency, focus, and decentralized ownershipWhy scaling experimentation starts with outcomes over output

    32 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

Outperform is a show dedicated to unlocking the full potential of your business and product by scaling experimentation for data-driven decisions and innovation. Every episode is packed with cutting-edge strategies and practical insights for data scientists, PMs, and engineers alike. We’re exploring topics ranging from A/B testing and AI to creating a culture of experimentation within your organization. Discover how businesses win by driving innovation and better decision-making!

Information

  • Creator
    Datadog
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Datadog
  • Show Website
    Outperform