#174 - Ghalib Suleiman - The Zero-Interest Rate Hangover in Data and AI
May 14, 2024
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Ghalib Suleiman, expert in data and AI, discusses the zero-interest rate hangover affecting the industry. Topics include AI hype cycle, challenges for data teams, importance of fundamental problem-solving, ethics of data influencers, evolution of data modeling, market size impact on VC funding, and the role of data in business strategies.
Data bubble burst due to rising interest rates affecting team sizes and salaries.
Data refinement crucial despite 'data is the new oil' hype for business impact.
Hybrid data modeling approach essential for adapting to evolving data landscape.
Deep dives
Data Bubble and Interest Rates Impact
The podcast delves into the concept of a data bubble and its progression over the years. Initially driven by interest rates and VC funding, data teams saw exponential growth, leading to a focus on large teams and inflated roles like analytics engineers. However, this boom was short-lived as interest rates rose, leading to a reevaluation of team sizes and inflated salaries.
Data as the New Oil and Back to Basics
The discussion highlights the phrase 'data is the new oil' and its true meaning of refining and processing data to make it useful. Despite the hype, the podcast emphasizes the ongoing need to refine data for business impact, stressing that data teams must justify their existence and navigate challenges like bosses uninterested in data. This period of reflection signifies a return to basics in data work.
Fundamentals in Tech Education and Data Modeling
The conversation shifts to the importance of teaching tech fundamentals to navigate technological advancements. Amidst AI integration, the need to understand AI's impact and choose career paths that align with personal fulfillment is stressed. The challenge of data modeling is discussed, attributing its complexity to shifting motivations and technological evolutions, leading to a struggle between traditional constructs and the new data landscape.
New Vision for Data Modeling
Data modeling in the modern era requires a new vision that goes beyond traditional approaches like normal forms and star schema models. The speaker emphasizes the importance of finding a hybrid approach that leverages columnar systems efficiently while incorporating human input effectively. This fresh perspective aims to optimize data modeling techniques by blending the strengths of different methodologies to adapt to the evolving data landscape.
Business Impact and Data Leadership
Focusing on enhancing data modeling skills, the podcast delves into the significance of understanding the classics in data modeling while exploring new approaches like data vault and anchor modeling. The conversation also shifts towards the role of data managers in driving business impact. Emphasizing the need for alignment with business objectives, the discussion highlights the challenges faced by data teams in large companies and the importance of integrating data insights with practical business strategies to deliver tangible results.
Ghalib Suleiman (Polytomic) joins the show to chat how the zero-interest rate hangover is affecting data and AI. We dive into the AI hype cycle, "data influencers", data vendors, data teams, and much more.
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