Catalog & Cocktails: The Honest, No-BS Data Podcast TAKEAWAY - Stop Chasing AI Hype. Start Counting Dollars. w/ Juan Gorricho
Feb 4, 2026
Juan Gorricho, a data and analytics executive with 25+ years leading strategy at companies like TD Bank and Disney, breaks down practical priorities. He urges counting real dollar impact over AI hype. Discussion hits trust and data literacy, cutting vanity metrics, focusing on a few critical data columns, and shifting reporting into decision-intelligence with product thinking.
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Relentlessly Prioritize Business Impact
- Be relentless about focusing on business value instead of chasing AI hype and pilots.
- Count measurable business impact, not demos or pilot status.
Vanity Metrics Mislead Value
- Vanity metrics like data lake size, pipeline counts, or dashboard counts don't map to business value.
- Focus on the relatively small set of critical attributes that actually drive the business.
Few Attributes Power Most Decisions
- A small number of columns likely drive most business outcomes, not endless data volume.
- Center efforts on those ~40–100 critical attributes to maintain focus and impact.