Code and Connor

This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Brian Fornelli of Conagra Brands to discuss operationalizing AI in large enterprises, why companies are overcomplicating adoption, and where generative AI actually delivers value.

Brian is a Senior Director of Data Solutions and Engineering at Conagra Brands, where he focuses on building production-grade machine learning systems and scalable software solutions that improve operational decision-making. With over 15 years of experience spanning applied machine learning, engineering, and enterprise systems, his work centers on deploying practical AI solutions that drive measurable outcomes in complex operational environments.

In this episode, we discuss:

→ Why cross-functional teams outperform traditional enterprise org structures for AI

→ The risks of deploying probabilistic AI into real-world operations

→ Why most enterprise problems don’t need advanced AI

→ The importance of observability, governance, and traceability in AI systems

→ How enterprises balance platforms like Palantir, Databricks, and Snowflake

→ Why AI-generated software may matter more than AI-powered operations

→ The coming pricing, supply, and GPU challenges facing enterprise AI

→ Why organizations need better ways to measure AI ROI and productivity

→ The risks of unbounded “vibe coded” enterprise applications

→ Why deterministic systems and traditional ML still matter alongside LLMs

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

Conagra

Website: https://www.conagrabrands.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conagra-brands/

Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-fornelli/

Codestrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Maciej Kraus, partner at Movens Capital and Stanford guest lecturer, to discuss current AI pricing models, their limitations, and what comes next.

Maciej is a PhD, VC partner, and pricing expert with 20+ years in strategy, sales, and monetization. He advises founders on value capture, guest lectures at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and co-authored Pricing Decoded. He blends data, psychology, and practical frameworks to turn pricing into a growth engine for tech and SaaS.

In this episode, we discuss:

→ Why AI challenges the traditional SaaS model (cheap to build, expensive to run)→ The “Token AI” consumption model and its limitations

→ The potential threat of economic collapse→ Business models that will actually work in the future→ How subsidies and capital burn are distorting the market→ Output vs. outcome-based pricing

→ Hybrid pricing models and the future of AI pricing

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

Movens Capital

Website: https://movenscapital.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/movenscapital/

Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maciejkraus/

Codestrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai

Codestrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Jarek Sobanski of Swiss Re to discuss managing complexity at scale, how Foundry enables a data-connected enterprise, and where AI is actually driving business impact.

Jarek leads Data Platforms Architecture at Swiss Re—a Global Fortune 500 company and the world’s largest reinsurer—guiding a team that designs and scales enterprise data and AI ecosystems. With expertise in AI, analytics, distributed computing, and four years working hands-on with Palantir Foundry and AIP, he focuses on turning complex data landscapes into practical business solutions.

In this episode, we discuss:

→ Swiss Re’s journey scaling Foundry across thousands of users and hundreds of applications→ Why data governance is essential for scaling enterprise AI platforms→ How business teams can build their own apps and AI workflows→ The role of IT centers of excellence and “tiger teams” in early platform adoption→ Why most enterprise AI value comes from unstructured data like contracts and claims→ The shift from traditional NLP programs to modern large language models→ How organizations should rethink processes in an AI-enabled world→ The limitations of current AI systems—and why human expertise still matters

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

Swiss Re

Website: https://www.swissre.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/swiss-re/

Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jareksobanski/

CodeStrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Tarek Nseir and Dom Selvon of Valiance to discuss the latest in AI news, from the UK’s attempt to oust Palantir from the NHS to Claude Code’s source code leak.

Tarek is a serial entrepreneur who built one of Europe's leading digital transformation consultancies over 25 years, delivering landmark programmes for JK Rowling, the BBC, and LV Insurance. Dom is a founding figure of the composable architecture movement who has spent 27 years building flexible systems for brands including LEGO, IKEA, and Burberry. Valliance, their new company, is an independent AI consultancy that combines deep expertise in data, AI, and enterprise transformation to help leaders solve complex business problems and move away from delivering simple pilots to real impactful deliveries with measurable outcomes.

In this episode, we discuss the latest headlines in AI:

→ The UK to rethink tech buying after Palantir contracts - The Register→ Anthropic goes nude, exposes Claude Code source by accident - The Register→ ‘Guardian’ Apps Aim to Stop AI Agents From Going Rogue - The Information

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

Valiance

Website: https://valliance.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valliance-ai/

Tarek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tareknseir/

Dom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dom-selvon-1488958/

CodeStrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

Codestrap’s Dorian Smiley, Benjamin Rogojan, and Przemyslaw Nowak discuss the key issues and considerations fueling the debate between tradcoding and tokenmaxxing.

Be sure to follow us to get our latest updates and learn about our technology and approach. Schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com to see what we can do for your business.

Featuring:

Dorian Smiley, Founder & CTO: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Benjamin Rogojan, Founding Partner & Fractional Head of Data: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrogojan/ 

Przemyslaw Nowak, Founding Partner & Principal Engineer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nowakprzemek/

Codestrap:

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 26 features our friend Jeff Hollan, Former Head of Cortex AI Agents and Snowflake Intelligence. Jeff led the product strategy for Snowflake Intelligence, Cortex Agents, Cortex Analyst, and Cortex Search. These core components of Snowflake Cortex AI empower developers, engineers, and data scientists to build powerful AI apps and agents alongside the world’s data and unlock insights with natural language.  Prior to Snowflake, Jeff was Head of Product for Microsoft Azure’s PaaS and Serverless portfolio, where he was responsible for some of the most used and highest growth services in Azure, such as Azure Functions, Container Apps, App Services, and Static Web Apps. 

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Our 26th episode focuses on:

→ Snowflake’s goal to democratize AI for the enterprise 

→ Should everyone be building AI solutions?

→ Snowflake Intelligence is GA - what is it, how is it different from traditional BI or copilots

→ Who is the operational user in the future for Snowflake

→ What it’s like to lead development of Snowflake Intelligence and Jeff’s learnings

→ Snowflake’s incorporation of AI into their own products

→ Snowflake recently announced $200 million partnership expansion with Anthropic.

→ The Arctic research team at Snowflake and their involvement with SLMs

→ Multimodal AI, interoperable agents and the future of enterprise AI

→ Snowflake vs. Databricks

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

Snowflake

Website: https://www.snowflake.com/en/

Cortex: https://www.snowflake.com/en/product/features/cortex/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snowflake-computing/

CodeStrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 25 features our friend Jack Smith from ElevenLabs. Jack leads global channel partnerships and strategic alliances at ElevenLabs. Previously, he was the Employee Experience and Consumer Bank Operations tech strategy lead at JPMorgan Chase, overseeing emerging technology initiatives and leading engagement with the tech ecosystem.

This episode focuses on:

→ Solving the fiction of existing software including the GUI, with ElevenLabs

→ Evolution of voice-first AI agents and the complexity of a system built on language

→ Will voice become the primary interface for AI agents?

→ ElevenLabs’ Agents platform and the competitive landscape

→ ElevenLabs focus on DevEx in their platforms and recent enhancements

→ Research teams inside ElevenLabs four walls

→ From pilot to production and the scaling challenges

→ Natural language interface wrapping the global API economy

→ What does the ‘voice of technology’ become in five years?

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

ElevenLabs

Website: elevenlabs.io

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevenlabsio/

Jack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackanthonysmith/

CodeStrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

This week on Code x Connor, Unit8 co-founder & CTO Michal Rachtan joins us to debrief the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos and discuss global perspectives around AI.

As CTO at Unit8, a Swiss-based data + AI services company, Michal leads a team of over 160 deploying production-grade data platforms and agentic solutions for major global enterprises in the life sciences, manufacturing, and financial sectors. Prior to launching Unit8, Michal served as a Tech Lead and Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir, where he was instrumental in helping massive organizations implement and scale complex data platforms.

In this episode, we discuss:

→ Attitudes around sovereign infrastructure and AI at Davos

→ What world leaders are actually prioritizing in 2026

→ Jamie Dimon’s hot take on AI deployment and job loss

→ Policy and implementation in Europe vs. the US

→The impact of regulation on startups and innovation

→ Navigating partnerships with industry giants like Palantir and OpenAI

→ Misconceptions around Palantir’s data collection and pricing

→ Building data foundations for AI coding that actually works

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

Unit8

Website: https://unit8.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unit8/ 

Michal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michal-rachtan/

CodeStrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 23 features our friend Francisco Ferreira, Founder and CEO of Datalinks, a company that is laser-focused on bringing human understanding to the core of the data and AI value chains.

Prior to founding Datalinks, Francisco spent 9 years at Palantir. At Palantir, he architected and created the product and infrastructure group for Skywise, the world’s biggest aviation platform, growing it from 3 airlines to 100+. He went on to create the Developer Relations groups and co-led Channel partners. Before Palantir, he had a multi-year stint at eBay.

This episode focuses on:

→ Francisco’s journey from Palantir to DataLinks

→ Large scale integrations and how to do them successfully

→ Why a clean ontology matters and how to build reusable components

→ What Datalinks is working on, including AI-generated ontologies

→ Enhanced search/retrieval across complex data relationships

→ The AI Bubble

→ AI model benchmarks and the pressures to align to them

→ Frontier models, open-source, small language models

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

Datalinks

Website: https://datalinks.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datasetlinks

Francisco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscomsferreira/

CodeStrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap

CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 22 features our friend Robert Fidler, General Manager of Valinor Streamline. Prior to joining Valinor, Rob spent five years as a Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir Technologies, working on projects with a variety of civilian agencies such as the FDA. He also spent 2 years as a Software Engineer at Chapter building their core technology layer.

Our 22nd episode focuses on Valinor, unpacking "a constellation of mission-aligned products", and the new business models that are the true disruptive forces moving economies. We also discuss the problem with government procurement around national security,  how Valinor unlocks innovation at the product level (e.g., Streamline), the advantages from strategic partnerships with Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, Helsing, unpacking Streamline and demoing the product, the importance of public-facing apps and structured writeback even in disconnected, offline environments, Ontology-native data capture, syncs, and application examples across Real Estate, Military, Manufacturing, Mining and more.

Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!

Valinor Streamline

Website (Valinor): https://www.valinor.co/about

Website (Streamline): https://www.valinor.co/products/streamline

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valinor-enterprises/

Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-fidler-9299944a/

Rob’s Blog: https://bobbyfidz.tech/

CodeStrap

Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/

Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/

CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411

CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap