The Data Stack Show

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome microservices expert Mark Fussell. Mark is Founder & CEO at Diagrid and Co-Creator of Dapr. In this conversation, the group explores the evolution of software architectures, focusing on the shift from monolithic to microservices systems. With over 20 years at Microsoft, Mark shares insights from his work on projects like Dapr and Azure Service Fabric. The discussion also covers the challenges developers face today, the importance of leveraging existing technologies to avoid reinventing the wheel, and the role of AI in enhancing productivity. Mark highlights how tools like Dapr simplify microservices development and emphasizes the need for continuous innovation in software architecture. Don’t miss this great conversation! 

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• Mark’s Background and Journey in Data (1:08)
• Mark’s Time at Microsoft (5:33)
• Internal Adoption of Azure (9:20)
• Understanding Pain Points (11:06)
• Complexity in Software Development (13:15)
• Microservices Architecture Overview (17:15)
• Microservices vs. Monolith (22:08)
• Modernizing Legacy Applications (24:39)
• Dependency Management with Dapr (29:43)
• Infrastructure as Code (33:04)
• AI's Rapid Evolution and Vendor Changes (37:27)
• Language Models in Application Development (39:05)
• AI in Creative Applications (42:59)
• The Future of Backend Development (47:22)
• Streamlining Development Processes (49:29)
• Dapr as an Open Source Solution (51:11)
• Getting Started with Dapr and Parting Thoughts (51:39)

The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, the CDP for developers. 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.
 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on The Data Stack Show, Brooks and John welcome Pete Hunt, CEO of Dagster Labs. During this conversation, Pete takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the evolution of data platforms, sharing insights from his experiences at Facebook and X (Twitter). Pete discusses the critical challenges of managing data complexity, emphasizing the importance of software engineering best practices and strong abstractions in data orchestration. He explores how emerging technologies like AI are transforming data workflows, breaking down traditional team boundaries, and enabling more collaborative, self-service data engineering. The conversation also highlights Dagster's innovative approach to building a data control plane, with a focus on empowering different stakeholders through flexible, composable tools. Listeners will gain valuable perspectives on the future of data engineering, the role of AI in development, the importance of creating adaptable, user-friendly data infrastructure, and so much more. 

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• Pete's Background and Journey in Data (1:36)
• Evolution of Data Practices (3:02)
• Integration Challenges with Acquired Companies (5:13)
• Trust and Safety as a Service (8:12)
• Transition to Dagster (11:26)
• Value Creation in Networking (14:42)
• Observability in Data Pipelines (18:44)
• The Era of Big Complexity (21:38)
• Abstraction as a Tool for Complexity (24:41)
• Composability and Workflow Engines (28:08)
• The Need for Guardrails (33:13)
• AI in Development Tools (36:24)
• Internal Components Marketplace (40:14)
• Reimagining Data Integration (43:03)
• Importance of Abstraction in Data Tools (46:17)
• Parting Advice for Listeners and Closing Thoughts (48:01)

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and welcomes back Ruben Burdin, Founder and CEO of Stacksync as they together dismantle the myths surrounding zero-copy ETL and traditional data integration methods. Ruben reveals the complex challenges of two-way syncing between enterprise systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, and NetSuite, highlighting how existing tools often create more problems than solutions. He also introduces Stacksync's innovative approach, which uses real-time SQL-based synchronization to simplify data integration, reduce maintenance overhead, and enable more efficient operational workflows. The conversation exposes the limitations of current data transfer techniques and offers a glimpse into a more declarative, flexible approach to managing enterprise data across multiple systems. You won’t want to miss it. 

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric Dodds and John Wessel explore how AI is reshaping the data industry, focusing on the ongoing cycles of bundling and unbundling within data infrastructure. They discuss the potential for closed ecosystems like Notion to deliver personalized, integrated experiences and examine recent industry moves such as Fivetran’s acquisitions. The conversation also highlights the challenges faced by both startups and incumbents, the influence of enterprise customers on product development, and the enduring importance of trade-offs when choosing between bundled and unbundled solutions. Key takeaways include the complexity of implementing AI across platforms, the likelihood that market cycles will persist despite technological advances, and the need for organizations to carefully weigh integration, flexibility, and long-term risk when adopting new data tools.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. This week on The Data Stack Show, AI entrepreneur Alberto Rizzoli shares his journey from early computer vision breakthroughs to leading the automation of back-office workflows at V7. The discussion explores the shift from bespoke model training to configurable AI solutions, the impact of automation on business roles, and emerging best practices for integrating AI into enterprises. Listeners will gain insight into how AI infrastructure is moving from labs to everyday businesses, which roles are most vulnerable or secure amid automation, and why future-proofing your career means focusing on creativity, first principles, and continuous improvement. Don’t miss it!

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. 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:

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Michael Driscoll, Co-Founder and CEO of Rill Data. Mike discusses the transformative impact of AI on business intelligence (BI) and data analytics. He also explores the shift from traditional dashboard-based tools to more dynamic, code-driven, and AI-powered interfaces that provide deeper insights. During the conversation, the group emphasizes the importance of a metrics-first approach, the potential of leapfrog architectures using technologies like data lakes and real-time analytical databases, and how AI agents are increasingly becoming the primary users of data tools. The conversation highlights the evolving landscape of data infrastructure, where open standards, flexibility, and intelligent interfaces are reshaping how businesses interact with and understand their data, and more. 

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. 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:

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. Thank you for being part of the Data Stack community. Stay up to date with the latest episodes at datastackshow.com.

This week on The Data Stack Show, John welcomes back repeat-guest Ben Rogojan, Owner and Data Consultant of Seattle Data Guy. John and Ben discuss the evolving relationship between data teams and businesses, highlighting the challenges of proving value in a cost-conscious environment. Ben explores the impact of technological advancements, the rise of AI, and the critical skills data professionals need to succeed. Key insights include the importance of understanding business context, being proactive, and focusing on delivering tangible outcomes rather than just producing dashboards. Ben also emphasizes the need for data teams to communicate value effectively, show rather than tell, and be willing to take calculated risks. The conversation provides practical advice for data professionals looking to advance their careers, with a focus on developing business skills, understanding organizational needs, creating meaningful impact beyond technical expertise, and so much more. 

• Technical Freelancer Academy & Consulting Community (1:21)
• Evolution of Data Teams and Technology (2:52)
• Data Team Growth and Output vs. Outcome (4:47)
• Internal Optimization vs. Client-Facing Data Work (7:23)
• Audience, Delivery Mechanisms, and Actionability (12:40)
• Proving ROI and Prioritizing Work (15:27)
• Practical Tips for Data Team-Business Alignment (18:31)
• Dealing with Vanity and Security Blanket Metrics (23:39)
• AI’s Impact on Data Workflows (27:07)
• BI Tools, AI Integration, and Dashboards (32:25)
• Top Skills for Data Professionals (37:27)
• Career Growth: Technical, Communication, and Business Skills (42:02)
• Show, Don’t Tell: Prototyping and Feedback (44:37)
• Taking Initiative and Risk in Data Roles (50:21)
• Parting Advice and Closing Thoughts (51:16)

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations, featuring insights worth revisiting. Thank you for being part of the Data Stack community. Stay up to date with the latest episodes at datastackshow.com.

This week on The Data Stack Show, Barry McCardel, CEO and Co-Founder of Hex, joins Eric Dodds and John Wessel to discuss the transformative impact of AI on data teams and the broader data industry. The conversation explores how AI is reshaping workflows, team structures, and the very definition of data roles, while also addressing the anxieties and opportunities that come with rapid change. Barry shares Hex’s journey from having a dedicated AI team to fully integrating AI across the product, and offers insights on industry consolidation, the infinite demand for data insights, and the importance of embracing change. Key takeaways include the need for data professionals to adapt and focus on problem-solving, the growing value of context and curation, the competitive advantage for organizations that leverage AI-driven tools and foster a culture of innovation, and so much more. 

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• Welcoming Back Barry to The Show (1:07)
• Discussing Change, Uncertainty, And Anxiety In Data Roles (3:13)
• Exploring Excitement And Opportunity In AI Adoption (6:20)
• Redefining Data Roles And The Infinite Demand For Insight (9:37)
• The Impact Of AI On Data Workflows And Team Mindset (12:52)
• Evolving Team Structures And The End Of The Magic Team (16:49)
• Integrating AI Into Product Development At Hex (20:44)
• Comparing Industry Approaches To AI Features (24:56)
• How AI Changes Daily Workflows For Data Teams (28:52)
• The Virtuous Cycle Of Context, Curation, And Self-Serve (32:39)
• Managing Context And Evaluating AI Agent Performance (36:52)
• The Expanding Role Of Data Professionals In The AI Era (40:45)
• Industry Consolidation And The Modern Data Stack (44:32)
• Lessons From Acquisitions And Platform Shifts (48:18)
• Key Takeaways And Looking Ahead To Future Episodes (52:16)

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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.