The Data Stack Show

Rudderstack
  • 5.0 (13)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Each week we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.

  1. 259: AI is All About Working with Data with Kostas Pardalis of typedef

    5D AGO

    259: AI is All About Working with Data with Kostas Pardalis of typedef

    This week on The Data Stack Show, Brooks and John welcome back Kostas Pardalis, long-time co-host of the Data Stack Show and now Co-Founder of typedef. The group discusses the rapid evolution of AI and data infrastructure. The conversation also explores how AI is accelerating industry change, the challenges of integrating large language models (LLMs) into data workflows, and the limitations of current semantic layers. Kostas shares insights on building next-generation query engines, the importance of using familiar engineering paradigms, and the need to make AI seamless and almost invisible in user experiences. Key takeaways include the necessity of practical, incremental innovation, the reality behind AI hype, strategies for making advanced data tools accessible and reliable for engineers and businesses alike, and so much more.  Highlights from this week’s conversation include: Kostas’s Background and Career Timeline (1:10)Transition from RudderStack to Starburst Data (4:25)AI Acceleration and Industry Impact (9:37)AI Hype, Investment, and Polarized Reactions (12:05)Historical Parallels and Tech Adoption (13:54)AI Disrupting Tech Workers and Internal Drama (18:56)Experimentation Phase and Future AI Applications (24:01)Invisible AI and User Experience (28:21)AI in Data Infrastructure and LLMs (34:24)SQL, LLMs, and Engineering Solutions (36:35)Standardization, Semantic Layers, and Data Modeling (41:01)Introduction to typedef (45:49)Productionizing AI Workloads with typedef (51:36)Familiarity, Reliability, and Engineering Best Practices (57:24)Security, Enterprise Concerns, and Open Source Models (1:00:48)Final Thoughts and Takeaways (1:01:47)The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data. RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

    1h 2m

  2. AUG 25 · BONUS

    The PRQL: He’s Back! How typedef is Changing Data Workflows with Kostas Pardalis

    In this bonus episode, Eric and John welcome back longtime co-host of the Data Stack Show Kostas Pardalis to talk through all things AI and his co-founding of typedef. The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data. RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

    4 min
  3. 258: Confidently Wrong: Why AI Needs Tools (and So Do We)

    AUG 20

    258: Confidently Wrong: Why AI Needs Tools (and So Do We)

    This week on The Data Stack Show, John and Matt dive into the latest trends in AI, discussing the evolution of GPT models, the role of tools in reducing hallucinations, and the ongoing debate between data warehouses and agent-based approaches. They also explore the complexities of risk-taking in data teams, drawing lessons from Nate Silver’s book on risk and sharing real-world analogies from cybersecurity, football, and political campaigns. Key takeaways include the importance of balancing innovation with practical risk management, the need for clear recommendations from data professionals, the value of reading fiction to understand human behavior in data, and so much more.  Highlights from this week’s conversation include: Initial Impressions of GPT-5 (1:41)AI Hallucinations and the Open-Source GPT Model (4:06)Tools and Determinism in AI Agents (6:00)Risks of Tool Reliance in AI (8:05)The Next Big Data Fight: Warehouses vs. Agents (10:21)Real-Time Data Processing Limitations (12:56)Risk in Data and AI: Book Recommendation (17:08)Measurable vs. Perceived Risk in Business (20:10)Security Trade-Offs and Organizational Impact (22:31)The Quest for Certainty and Wicked Learning Environments (27:37)Poker, Process, and Data Team Longevity (29:11)Support Roles and Limits of Data Teams (32:56)Final Thoughts and Takeaways (34:20)  The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data. RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

    35 min

  4. AUG 18 · BONUS

    The PRQL: Hallucinations, Tools, and Data Wars: Inside the Minds of Data Pros

    In this bonus episode, John and Matt preview their upcoming conversation about trends in AI, the evolution of GPT modes and the ongoing debate between data warehouses and agent-based approaches. The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data. RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

    4 min
  5. 257: Data Tools, Templates, and the Trouble with “Easy” Solutions with the Cynical Data Guy

    AUG 13

    257: Data Tools, Templates, and the Trouble with “Easy” Solutions with the Cynical Data Guy

    This week on The Data Stack Show, John and Matt bring you another edition of the Cynical Data Guy. John and Matt dive into the evolution of customer data infrastructure, the growing influence of low-code tools like Clay, and the blurred lines around the “engineer” title in modern data roles. They also discuss the trade-offs between SaaS adoption and building custom solutions, the pitfalls of enterprise software buying, and the realities of platform lock-in—using Palantir’s unique business model as a case study. Key takeaways include the importance of simplicity and scalability in data engineering, the need for clear requirements when evaluating tools, and a healthy skepticism toward sales pitches and “art of the possible” features. Don’t miss this month’s Cynical Data Guy.  Highlights from this week’s conversation include: Reacting to the Rise of the GTM Engineer (1:11)Is "Engineer" the Right Term? (4:49)Low-Code Tools, AI, and Future Workflows (7:14)Simplicity in Data Engineering (14:38)The Pitfalls of "Simple" Solutions (15:18)Choosing SaaS vs. Building In-House (18:26)Business Process Abstraction and SaaS Adoption (21:31)Enterprise Software: Art of the Possible vs. Practicality (24:31)Sales Advice: Focus on Customer Needs (27:11)Forward Deployed Engineers and Delivery Models (29:05)Platform Lock-In: When Is It a Dirty Word? (36:41)Legacy Systems and the Reality of Lock-In (39:53)Final Thoughts and Takeaways (40:55)The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data. RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

    41 min

  6. AUG 11 · BONUS

    The PRQL: Simplicity, SaaS, and the Art of Data Engineering with the Cynical Data Guy

    In this bonus episode, John and Matt preview the next installment of the Cynical Data Guy.  The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data. RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

    2 min
  7. 256: The Rise of the Citizen Developer: Solving Business Problems with Alteryx and AI with Andy MacMillan

    AUG 6

    256: The Rise of the Citizen Developer: Solving Business Problems with Alteryx and AI with Andy MacMillan

    This week on The Data Stack Show, Brooks and John chat with Andy MacMillan, CEO of Alteryx. Andy discusses the evolving landscape of data and AI, focusing on empowering business users to solve complex problems. He explores the concept of "citizen developers" and how tools like Alteryx can bridge the gap between IT and business teams by democratizing data access. The conversation also emphasizes the importance of creating controlled environments where business users can leverage cloud data platforms and AI technologies to reimagine workflows, without bypassing governance. Key takeaways include the need for organizations to enable innovation through accessible data tools, the potential of AI-driven agents to transform business processes, the critical role of employees who understand their business functions in driving technological transformation, and so much more. Highlights from this week’s conversation include: Andy’s Background and Journey in Data (0:54)Early Web Development at General Motors (2:23)AI Challenges in the Enterprise (9:03)What is Alteryx and Its Value Proposition (11:25)The Importance of Empowering Business Users (16:10)Bridging the Gap Between Data Platforms and Business Users (20:04)Evolution from Desktop to Data Cloud (25:28)Access and Governance in the Cloud Era (27:57)The Return of Local Data Work and AI Governance (31:24)AI Data Clearinghouse and Governance (34:11)AI-Enabled Workflows and Business Impact (38:13)The Future: Agents, Data Platforms, and Business Logic (41:05)How to Get Started with Alteryx or Learn More (46:54)Product Management Lessons for Leadership and Parting Thoughts (47:56)The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data. RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

    50 min

  8. AUG 4 · BONUS

    The PRQL: Cloud Platforms, AI, and the Future of Business Analytics with Andy MacMillan of Alteryx

    In this bonus episode, Brooks and John preview their upcoming conversation with Andy MacMillan of Alteryx. The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data. RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

    2 min
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out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Each week we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.

Information

  • Creator
    Rudderstack
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    480
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 The Data Stack Show
  • Show Website
    The Data Stack Show

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