The IT Crowd Podcast

Live from the opening day of the 2026 Baker Hughes Annual Meeting in Florence, Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with Laura Van Beers and Aravind Yarlagadda to unpack Baker Hughes’ “Energy Equation” and the real challenges behind scaling digital in industrial operations.

From the shift toward problem-driven solutions to the role of AI in modern operations, this conversation explores how companies are building trust in digital systems, while keeping humans firmly in the loop.

00:00 Live From Florence

00:29 Show Energy And Passion

01:19 Meet Laura And Aravind

06:24 IT Meets OT

08:50 From Products To Problems

12:16 Services And Domain Context

14:16 Human In The Loop

18:24 Bridging Generational Change

19:34 Training and Change

20:01 Integration Without Tool Sprawl

21:05 Two Product Paths

23:17 Breaking Data Silos

25:14 Contextualizing Asset Data

27:29 Innovation With Safety

29:07 Hype Versus Reality

31:32 Experimenting With New Tech

33:47 Scaling IT Into OT

36:33 Trust and Closing Thoughts

AI is not the advantage anymore; execution is.

From Upright Digital Media Studios in Houston, hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez welcome back Robby Gulri, Head of Advanced Technologies at Intelisys.

The conversation explores the gap between AI hype and real execution—highlighting why successful AI strategies start with strong data governance, clear business outcomes, and cyber resilience.

Gulri also breaks down practical AI use cases, rising cybersecurity risks, and why companies must shift from selling products to delivering solutions.

00:00 Podcast Kickoff

01:18 Meet Today’s Guest

03:51 Robbie’s Origin Story

04:51 Career Path and Role

07:09 Entrepreneur Roots

11:03 Why AI Is Mostly Hype

14:05 AI Governance and Guardrails

19:49 Consumer Expectations and CX

22:31 Real World AI Examples

24:49 Three AI Use Case Buckets

30:09 How LLMs Actually Work

31:54 AI Slop and Hallucinations

34:03 AI Email War Story

36:45 Energy and Social Costs

38:25 Security Implications Ahead

38:46 Phishing Gets Personal

39:30 AI Powered Cybercrime Markets

41:53 Zero Trust In Real Life

43:53 Security ROI For CEOs

46:55 SMBs Under Constant Attack

49:01 Cyber Resilience Mindset Shift

51:33 Cloud Shared Responsibility Reality

54:57 CIO Evolution And Misalignment

59:55 Is AI Really IT

01:01:41 FinOps Ownership Debate

01:04:55 Writing The SKU To Solution Book

01:10:06 Wrap Up And Where To Connect

Can today’s power systems handle data center volatility?

From the Thrive Energy Conference, The IT Crowd Podcast hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with Brian Uhlmer, CEO at EKU Power Drives, to break down what it really takes to manage extreme, real-time power demand.

They dive into OEM-agnostic controls, mixed-asset integration, and why flexibility—not standardization—is becoming the key advantage in power-as-a-service.

00:00 Welcome From Vegas

00:33 Why Piper Sandler Matters

00:52 Meet Brian Olmer

02:45 Brian’s Career Journey

06:56 What EKU Builds

07:32 Data Centers Need Control

11:15 OEM Agnostic Power Mixing

12:55 Genesys and Maximus Stack

14:13 Integration Timelines

16:01 Controls as Growth Bottleneck

18:16 AI Demand Debate

20:01 AI Adoption Stories

24:39 Cybersecurity and Data Flow

26:03 Cybersecure Power Controls

26:51 Nuisance Trips Explained

27:12 Uptime Penalties Reality

28:47 Droop Logic And Sync

30:01 Why Grid Falls Short

32:26 Beyond Data Centers

33:30 Conference Target Customers

35:12 Founder Owned Funding

37:47 Standardizing Gen Sets

41:19 How To Find EKU

41:48 Stuttgart Speed Record Story

43:36 Wrap Up And CNBC Call

What actually drives asset value in today’s energy market?

Live from Thrive Energy Conference, The IT Crowd Podcast hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with Jim Gordon, Managing Director at Macquarie Group, and Phil Lavis to break down how capital really gets deployed—from asset-backed financing to operating leases.

They cover how tech, data, and cybersecurity are reshaping risk, plus the impact of rising data center demand and early AI use in asset valuation.

00:00 Live From Thrive

01:10 Meet The Guests

01:52 Macquarie And Roles

03:12 Phil’s Background

04:07 What Macquarie Does

05:14 Financing Oilfield Gear

05:55 Jim’s Career Path

08:02 Valuing Tech Shifts

09:09 Asset Value Framework

11:04 Obsolescence And Cyber Risk

14:21 Deal Fit And Underwriting

15:32 Data Centers And GPUs

16:58 Why Macquarie Wins

17:22 Why Clients Choose Us

19:11 Happy Hour Sponsor Break

19:36 Operating Lease Explained

21:12 Residual Value Edge

22:29 Global Mining Remarketing

23:57 Tech Shifts In Equipment

27:19 AI In Asset Valuation

29:10 Our Real Value Proposition

31:48 Wrap Up And Thanks

AI is booming, but energy might be its biggest bottleneck.

Live from the Daniel Energy Partners Thrive Energy Conference, hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with Dennis Jol, CEO of AIQ, to unpack what’s really slowing AI adoption, and why the answer is not what most think.

From its roots with ADNOC and G42, to real deployments across the field, Jol reveals what’s working, what’s not, and where the biggest opportunity is being missed.

00:00 Live From Thrive

00:54 Studio Setup Story

02:00 Meet Dennis Jol

02:54 What Is AIQ

04:26 Dennis Career Path

06:01 AI for Energy

08:15 Data Sharing Gap

10:01 Breaking US Mindsets

13:25 US Market Reception

15:33 Scaling Beyond Pilots

18:10 UAE Moves Fast

19:41 Proven AI Products

22:06 How AIQ Builds Fast

23:56 Where To Learn More

24:28 Frac Roots And Margins

25:11 Productizing AI Use Cases

25:56 AI Commoditization And Energy

26:43 Data Centers As Refineries

27:19 Build Buy Or Keep IP

29:28 Transferable Tech And Focus

31:48 AI For All Themes

33:53 Curating Real AI Companies

35:23 Abu Dhabi Momentum

36:53 How To Connect And APEC

40:03 Donut Detour And Wrap Up

41:06 Final Thanks And Sign Off

AI in the oilfield sounds powerful, but can the industry trust it?

Recorded at the 2026 Baker Hughes Annual Meeting in Florence, IT Crowd Podcast hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with Jim “James” Brady, Chief Digital Officer for Baker Hughes’ Oilfield Services & Equipment segment.

Brady explains how digitalization is moving the industry from siloed data to collaborative, recommendation-driven decisions, and why trust, transparency, and domain expertise are essential to scale AI in energy.

They also discuss tools like Lucida, optimizing production under real-world constraints, and how AI can act as a human capital extender in an industry facing talent shortages.

00:00 Live From Florence

01:33 Meet Jim Brady

03:37 Digital As Language

06:32 Breaking Data Silos

09:43 From Data To Recommendations

12:29 Efficiency And Transition

14:44 Trust And Pilots

17:36 Scaling Beyond Proof

20:18 Regional Adoption Differences

24:48 AI as Career Extender

26:32 Oil and Gas AI History

27:16 GenAI Unlocks Data

30:15 Measured AI Adoption

33:34 Hybrid Physics Plus AI

35:06 Reskilling and Code Gen

38:42 Avoiding Shiny Tech

43:11 Bold Energy Prediction

45:42 Conference Takeaways

46:40 AI for Safety Gains

49:04 Final Wrap and Thanks

Live from the Daniel Energy Partners BBQ in Midland, hosts Josh Lowrey and Richard Rodriguez sit down with William Fox, General Manager of Drilling at Cova, to discuss how AI and automation are reshaping the oil and gas industry. 

From predictive drilling to generative programs, get a sneak peek at the innovations driving efficiency, safety, and what’s coming next over the next 24 months.

Tune in now!

00:00 Welcome to the IT Crowd Podcast

00:07 Setting the Scene: Annual Energy Partners Barbecue

00:34 Event Overview and Audience Engagement

01:15 Introducing Richard Rodriguez

02:29 Special Guest: William Fox from Cova

04:00 Technological Innovations in Oil and Gas

04:49 Challenges and Opportunities in Digital Adoption

07:50 Generative AI and Machine Learning in Action

14:13 Success Stories and Future Prospects

16:30 The Value of Automation and Efficiency

17:10 Stuck Pipe Prediction Models

18:35 Customer Success and Market Growth

19:53 Adoption of AI and Machine Learning

21:10 Tailored Solutions for Clients

24:54 Future Tech Roadmap

29:31 Community and Networking at the Barbecue

31:27 Closing Remarks and Social Media

How is AI reshaping asset tracking in oil & gas?

Join hosts Josh Lowery and Richard Rodriguez live from the Permian Basin BBQ as they sit down with Roopa Misra, SVP of Account Management at GeoForce. In this short but insightful conversation, they explore GeoForce’s journey from early energy trading to today’s AI-powered tracking, and what this evolution means for safety, efficiency, and the future of the industry.

Tune in NOW!

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:36 Event Overview and Guest Introduction

02:43 Guest Background and Career Journey

04:54 Technological Advancements in Oil and Gas

10:47 Safety Innovations and Product Development

15:07 Data Utilization and Asset Management

20:09 Introduction to Powered Asset Class

20:27 Importance of Maintenance and Alerts

21:22 Role of AI in Predictive Maintenance

22:18 Advancements in AI and Technology

25:39 Customer Feedback and Integration

33:31 Global Presence and Commitment

36:19 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

What makes someone walk away from a successful corporate career to start over?

That’s exactly what Jay Slaughter did. Once the CIO at Tokio Marine, Jay decided to trade boardrooms for building his own insurance agency, and the story behind that decision is full of lessons about courage, innovation, and purpose.

In this episode of Solution Stack, host Richard Rodriguez sits down with Jay to talk about how technology has evolved, the real impact of AI on business, and what digital modernization looks like from someone who’s lived on both sides, corporate and entrepreneurial.

They unpack the risks, the rewards, and the human side of adopting new tech and how following your gut can sometimes be the smartest business decision you’ll ever make.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:40 Guest Introduction: Jay Slaughter

01:27 Technology and Modernization in Insurance

02:32 AI and Risk Management

03:53 Challenges in Modernization

08:02 Jay's Career Transition

10:11 Starting a New Business: Slaughter Family Insurance

11:54 The Importance of Proper Insurance Coverage

19:54 Leveraging Technology in Insurance

23:15 Conclusion and Contact Information

Discover how IntelePeer is reshaping the future of intelligent automation

In this episode of The Solution Stack, host Richard Rodriguez talks with Aqeel Shahid, SVP of Channel Sales at IntelePeer, about the company’s evolution from SIP to AI and automation, its partnerships with OpenAI and Azure, and the importance of data privacy.

They also share practical steps to start an AI journey, key timelines, and real-world use cases across industries.

Tune in now!

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:20 Overview of IntelliPeer

01:13 AI and Automation Solutions

03:00 Privacy and Compliance Measures

05:38 Starting the AI Journey

11:50 Implementation and Change Management

15:57 Industry Use Cases and Success Stories

23:50 Customer Support and Sentiment Analysis

30:02 Conclusion and Contact Information