Data Renegades

Benn Stancil, Co-founder of Mode and an insightful commentator on data and AI, dives into the evolving identity of data tools. He discusses the importance of maintaining a clear product vision and the perils of 'identity bloat' when catering to diverse user requests. Benn reflects on the challenges in data analysis and the need for better storytelling as AI influences data interpretation. He also touches on the potential for large language models to shift how executives access insights, emphasizing that meaningful data successes remain rare.

Micah Wylde, founder of Arroyo and former engineer at Cloudflare, shares his journey from building fraud detection at Sift Science to creating massive real-time systems at Lyft. He discusses the complexity of streaming systems, emphasizing that schema evolution remains a tough challenge. Micah argues for SQL-first streaming, critiques current CDC tooling, and highlights the importance of treating data outputs as products. He also predicts a shift in data architecture towards open formats and the impact of AI on data consumption.

In this engaging conversation, guest Maxime Beauchemin, the creator of Apache Airflow and Superset, shares his journey from building data warehouses at Ubisoft to revolutionizing data tooling. He reveals the inspiration behind Airflow, the challenges of scalable BI, and his mission with Preset to disrupt conventional analytics. Maxime discusses the implications of AI on data practices, the future of data roles, and the importance of open-source governance in fostering healthy data teams. A treasure trove of insights for data enthusiasts!

Simon Willison, a prominent open-source software developer and data journalism advocate, shares his journey from creating Django to building Datasette. He discusses the evolution of data journalism and highlights impactful projects like the Washington Post's opioid investigation. The conversation explores how open-source tools can empower newsrooms, the potential of AI in automating data cleaning, and innovative uses of Datasette for diverse purposes. Simon also predicts a future where AI reshapes data workflows and enriches team capabilities.

In this debut episode of Data Renegades, CL Kao and Dori Wilson dive into the unconventional paths that led them into developer tools, civic tech, and machine learning systems. CL recounts his experience building early open source infrastructure, mobilizing communities through data transparency projects, and now shaping how we design software around LLMs. This episode sets the tone for the show’s mission: celebrating builders who redefine the boundaries of what tools can do.