DevOps Paradox DOP 333: The Hidden Problems Behind Every Data Pipeline
Jan 14, 2026
Pete Hunt, CEO of Dagster and a former member of the original React team, shares his journey from building trust-and-safety tools at Facebook and Twitter to creating modern data orchestration solutions. He discusses common pitfalls in data pipelines like lateness, quality issues, and the challenges of multi-agent orchestration. Pete emphasizes the critical role of user adoption over sophisticated technology and critiques the current complexity in microservices. His insights offer valuable lessons for tackling infrastructure problems across industries.
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Early React Origin Story
- Pete Hunt joined React early after liking it while working on Facebook's ads create flow.
- He became a contributor and later a member of the team as React grew organically.
Startup From Instagram Trust Work
- Pete co-founded a startup to bring Facebook-style site integrity tools to others after working on Instagram trust and safety.
- That startup later served customers like Musical.ly and was acquired by Twitter.
Trust And Safety During Crises
- At Twitter Pete worked on trust and safety during elections and COVID disruptions.
- He described urgent shifts like moving manual reviewers remote and shipping laptops to maintain operations.