The Test Set by Posit
Posit, PBC
A Posit podcast for data science junkies, anomaly hunters, and those who play outside the confidence interval. Hosted by Michael Chow, with co-hosts Wes McKinney & Hadley Wickham.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 14, 2025 • 23min
Wes McKinney: Part 1 — Building Pandas, Arrow, and a speedrunning legacy
Wes McKinney, an influential open-source software developer and the mastermind behind Pandas and Apache Arrow, shares his journey from speedrunning communities to revolutionizing data processing. He discusses how frustration with data work sparked Pandas' creation and dives into the early days of organizing the GoldenEye speedrunning scene. Wes also reflects on the importance of community in open-source development, the challenges of optimizing CSV handling, and the thrill of collaborating with like-minded creators in the data space.
Jun 30, 2025 • 28min
Hadley Wickham: Spreadsheets, bikes, and the accidental empire of R packages
Hadley Wickham, Chief Scientist at Posit and creator of the Tidyverse, shares his journey from a spreadsheet-loving teen to a major figure in data science. He reflects on how messy Excel sheets led to the tidy data revolution and discusses the challenges of developing R packages. The conversation touches on maintaining focus amidst burnout, his fascination with integrating LLMs into data workflows, and how writing books helps tidy ideas. Fun anecdotes, including a custom bike inspired by his Shiny textbook, add a personal touch to his insights.
