What's New In Data

What if the fastest route to real AI value isn’t training a new model—but learning how to use the ones we already have, better? We sit down with author and professor John K. Thompson to chart a clear path from AI’s roots to practical wins you can ship this quarter, while keeping an honest eye on what stands between today’s LLMs and true AGI.

We start with the origin story—from Turing’s early ideas to the Dartmouth workshop...

In this episode of What’s New in Data, we’re joined by Clare Liguori – Senior Principal Engineer at AWS – to dig into the evolving role of retrieval in modern AI systems. Clare unpacks why retrieval shouldn’t just be thought of as a technique to get documents — it’s a strategic tool that can unlock smarter, more adaptive agents.
We also explore how AWS is thinking about orchestration, what actually counts as “reasoning,” and wh...

Jonathan Shough, CIO of Parexel, joins us to talk about leading data modernization in one of the world’s most regulated industries. He shares how compliance can be reframed as an enabler, not a blocker—and why it’s critical to deliver value to patients, not just platforms. We get into Parexel’s pragmatic approach to AI adoption, the role of human interaction in digital transformation, and what it really means to modernize data infr...

Joe Reis joins us to reflect on life after Fundamentals of Data Engineering, what makes data content worth consuming, and why good taste matters as much as technical skill. We talk about burnout in big tech, the myth of AI replacing everyone, and how Discord communities, DJ sets, and a sense of humor are helping shape the future of data. This one’s part industry pulse check, part real talk.

Follow Joe:

• LinkedIn
• Substack
• D...

Barzan Mozafari, CEO of Keebo and former computer science professor, joins us to explore how AI is changing the way data teams work. We talk about the hidden inefficiencies in cloud data platforms like Snowflake and Databricks, how reinforcement learning can automate performance tuning, and why the tradeoff between cost and speed isn’t always what it seems. Barzan also shares thoughts on LLMs, the future of conversational analytics...

What if your data pipeline could run 10x faster without the overhead? Jacopo Tagliabue, CTO of Bauplan and NYU adjunct professor, is pushing the boundaries of data infrastructure with lightweight DAGs, Apache Arrow, and a radically different take on functions as a service. In this episode, he breaks down the tech stack behind Bauplan and why the future of scalable data pipelines is all about speed, modularity, and zero-copy design.

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Sol Rashidi has built AI, data, and digital strategies inside some of the world’s biggest companies—and she’s seen the same mistakes play out again and again. In this episode, she unpacks why AI initiatives often stall, how executives misread what “transformation” really requires, and why the future of AI success isn’t technical—it’s cultural. If you think AI is just a tech problem, Sol is here to change your mind.

Follow Sol's...

Spencer Cook, Lead Solutions Architect at Databricks, joins to unpack how enterprises are moving beyond hype and building practical AI systems using vector search, RAG, and real-time data pipelines. He and John Kutay get into what it really takes to serve production LLMs safely, avoid hallucinations, and tie AI back to business outcomes—without losing sight of governance, latency, or customer experience.

Follow Spencer on:

• Linked...

Peter Laflin, Chief Data Officer at Morrisons, shares how his team turned customer confusion into a cutting-edge vector search experience—bridging physical retail with AI-powered search. He and John Kutay dive into the practical challenges of implementing LLMs and real-time data pipelines at scale, the importance of starting with actual customer problems, and why the best engineering feels a little lazy (on purpose). A real-world l...

Alok Pareek, Co-founder and EVP of Products at Striim, joins What’s New in Data to dive into the game-changing innovations in Striim’s latest release. We explore how real-time data streaming is transforming analytics, operations, and decision-making across industries. Alok breaks down the challenges of building reliable, low-latency data pipelines and shares how Striim’s newest advancements help businesses process and act on data f...

In this episode of What’s New in Data, AWS VP and Distinguished Engineer Marc Brooker joins us to break down DSQL, Amazon’s latest innovation in serverless, distributed databases. We discuss how DSQL balances consistency, availability, and scalability—without the headaches of traditional relational databases. Tune in to hear how this new approach simplifies architecture, eliminates operational pain points, and sets a new standard f...

Join us for a deep dive into the world of databases with CMU professor Andy Pavlo. We discuss everything from OLTP vs. OLAP, the challenges of distributed databases, and why cloud-native databases require a fundamentally different approach than legacy systems. We discuss modern Vector Databases, RAG, Embeddings, Text to SQL and industry trends.

You can follow Andy's work on:

• Blue Sky 
• Youtube 

What's New In Data is a...

Discover how Alex Noonan transitioned from the flight deck of a Marine aircraft to the  world of data engineering. His unique journey, enriched by a some time in the finance industry, gives us a firsthand view of the diverse backgrounds shaping the data industry. As Alex recounts his experiences, we explore the vibrant community he found on data Twitter, a realm buzzing with shared insights and collaborative spirit. However, the la...

Everett Berry joins the show again to share fresh perspectives on applying data in your sales and go-to-market strategy. We talk about his journey to a key role at Clay, where he leads Go-To-Market Engineering to tackle the complexities of serving and enhancing data for sales. Everett discusses how Clay's tools improve data accuracy and reach, helping businesses streamline revenue operations with smarter data use.

In this episo...

What does it take to go from leading Kafka development at Confluent to becoming a key figure in the PostgreSQL world? Join us as we talk with Gwen Shapira, co-founder and chief product officer at Nile, about her transition from cloud-native technologies to the vibrant PostgreSQL community. Gwen shares her journey, including the shift from conferences like O'Reilly Strata to PostgresConf and JavaScript events, and how the Postg...

Join us as we catch up with Chad Sanderson and Mark Freeman from Gable, live from Big Data London.  Discover Chad's insights from his well-attended talk and why the data scene in London has everyone buzzing. We're diving deep into the  concept of shifting data quality left, ensuring upstream data producers are as invested in data governance, privacy, and quality as their downstream counterparts. Chad and Mark also give us...

Join us as we sit down with Joe Reis, live at Big Data LDN (London) 2024. Joe shares his partnership with DeepLearning.ai and AWS through his new course on Data Engineering. Joe's new course promises to elevate your data skills with hands-on exercises that marry foundational knowledge with cutting-edge practices. We dive into how this course complements his seminal book, "Fundamentals of Data Engineering," and why ce...

Can AI really make your data analysis as easy as talking to a friend? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Ethan Ding, the co-founder and CEO of TextQL, as he shares his journey from Berkeley graduate to pioneering the text-to-SQL technology that's transforming how businesses interact with their data. Discover how natural language queries are breaking down barriers, making data analysis accessible to everyone, regardl...

What makes MotherDuck and DuckDB a game-changer for data analytics? Join us as we sit down with Jacob Matson, a renowned expert in SQL Server, dbt, and Excel, who recently became a developer advocate at MotherDuck.

During this episode, Jacob shares his compelling journey to MotherDuck, driven by his frequent use of DuckDB for solving data challenges. We explore the unique attributes of DuckDB, comparing it to SQLite for a...