The New Stack Podcast

Andrew Lee, co-founder of Shortwave and Firebase, dives into the transformative journey of his AI-first email client. He shares how Shortwave evolved from basic enhancements to deploying sophisticated AI capabilities, including tool-calling agents that tackle complex tasks autonomously. Lee highlights the impressive advancements seen in AI, particularly from Anthropic, and envisions a future where AI proactively manages emails and personalizes interfaces. This innovative shift promises to redefine productivity in email management.

Ev Kontsevoy, CEO of Teleport, discusses the evolving landscape of infrastructure security from KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe. He highlights alarming cybersecurity statistics, like the $5 million average breach cost, emphasizing that complexity fuels vulnerabilities. Kontsevoy advocates for an identity-first approach, treating humans, devices, and AI as unified identities for better security. He also shares insights on Teleport’s zero trust platform and future plans for supporting AI protocols, illustrating the dual role of AI in both cybersecurity threats and solutions.

Andrew Rynhard, Founder and CTO at Sidero Labs, and Justin Garrison, Head of Product, dive into Talos Linux, a distribution crafted for Kubernetes. They discuss its unique features, including an immutable file system and the absence of SSH, promoting a more secure and automated management approach. The demo reveals Talos's API-driven philosophy and ease of deployment across various environments, from cloud to edge devices. The conversation highlights how Talos’s design minimizes human error and enhances scalability, making node management more efficient.

Sumeet Singh, CEO of Aptori and co-founder of AppFormix, dives into building AI security engineers to tackle vulnerabilities in code. He unveils how Aptori's innovative tools map real-time data flows, marking a shift from merely alerting developers to automated code fixes. The discussion covers AI's evolution in security, addressing engineer fatigue, and the startup challenges faced in creating reliable solutions. Singh emphasizes the need for transparency and a balanced approach as they navigate the future of agent-based AI in enterprise security.

Steve Demchuk, CEO of Nitric and innovator from a fintech startup, dives into the challenges of building frontend apps in strict environments. He introduces the Nitric framework, which merges app logic with automated infrastructure needs, enhancing developer efficiency while maintaining platform team control. Demchuk also discusses how AI tools can streamline coding practices and infrastructure provisioning, alongside the importance of security in app development. The conversation reveals a paradigm shift towards more flexible, AI-integrated infrastructure management.

In this engaging conversation, Harjot Gill, Founder and CEO of CodeRabbit, dives into the world of AI-driven code reviews. With a rich background in launching tech startups, he highlights how AI tools like GitHub Copilot complicate the review process. CodeRabbit aims to alleviate this bottleneck by providing AI agents that understand context and enhance code quality. Gill envisions a future where AI takes on tedious tasks, allowing developers to focus on higher-level architecture and reduce bugs and costs in the coding process.

Janakiram MSV, an independent analyst specializing in cloud computing and AI, joins a vibrant discussion on the latest from Google Cloud Next. The focus is on the rapid evolution of AI agents, particularly Google’s new Agent Development Kit, which positions it against competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI. The conversation highlights the challenges companies face in integrating AI into workflows and emphasizes Google's commitment to full-stack AI development with innovative tools. The synergy between Kubernetes and AI is also explored, revealing a new ecosystem in the making.

Kevin Laughridge, a Deloitte consultant with 20 years of experience, discusses the future of AI, particularly Agentic AI, which goes beyond traditional generative models to enable autonomous business processes. He highlights the shift from AI pilots to full-scale deployment, facilitated by Google's new Agent2Agent protocol, allowing seamless communication between AI agents. Laughridge emphasizes the importance of a robust AI platform for integrating tools across systems and the evolving role of developers from coding to architecting adaptive AI solutions.

Aja Hammerly, Director of Developer Relations at Google, discusses the transformative power of AI in coding. She envisions AI as a virtual coding partner, ready to assist even during late-night projects. Hammerly emphasizes starting with simple AI tools for code writing, advocating for a tailored approach to integrate AI into personal workflows. She highlights Firebase Studio, showcasing how it simplifies app development with automation and collaboration, allowing developers to focus on creative aspects while AI handles repetitive tasks.

Chelsie Czop, Senior Product Manager for AI Infrastructure at Google Cloud, dives into cutting-edge developments in AI hardware. She discusses the impressive new Ironwood TPUs, boasting 42.5 exaflops, and the advancements in liquid cooling, essential for managing heat. Chelsie clarifies the ongoing debate between using TPUs or GPUs, noting significant performance boosts for some users. Moreover, she highlights the collaboration with DeepMind to stay ahead of evolving model architectures and the sustainable innovations shaping the future of data centers.