The Stack Overflow Podcast

Prashanth Shandrasekar, CEO of Stack Overflow, discusses the transformative impact of AI on software development. He shares insights from the HumanX conference, highlighting the significance of agentic AI and developer responsibilities. Prashanth explores the evolution of knowledge sharing, emphasizing the need for quality Q&A amidst AI data challenges. He addresses the importance of strategic partnerships, like with Microsoft Graph Connector, to enhance developer productivity, and he navigates the realities of AI hype, balancing its potential with prudent caution.

Ionic is a platform for building and deploying modern mobile applications and micro frontend experiences. It’s open source, too. Two mobile tools got multiple mentions on this episode: Xcode and Material Design. Connect with Maria on LinkedIn. 

Tillman Elser, Engineering Manager for AI and ML at Sentry, shares his journey from economic research to cutting-edge tech. He dives into how semantic embeddings, especially using BERT, revolutionize error monitoring by transforming complex stack traces into actionable insights. The discussion also sheds light on enhancing customer engagement in data labeling akin to an escape room challenge. Finally, Tillman highlights breakthroughs in error monitoring tools, showcasing the impact of generative AI in ensuring security and privacy for developers.

Elizabeth Kaufman, Head of climate tech startups at AWS, co-leads the Compute for Climate Fellowship, funding startups innovating in climate tech. She discusses how these startups leverage advanced cloud computing and AI to tackle environmental challenges. The conversation highlights examples like SmartX, which reduces fashion waste, and explores the potential of fusion energy technology. Kaufman emphasizes the importance of agility and innovation in transforming the energy sector, showcasing how diverse solutions can address climate change effectively.

Welcome to Leaders of Code, a new business segment of the Stack Overflow podcast. On this show, we chat with business, tech, and engineering leaders from forward-thinking companies across industries about their business strategies, the challenges and opportunities of building high-performing teams, driving innovation, leveraging the power of AI, and other key topics. Tune in every second Thursday for real-world success stories, actionable strategies, and fresh perspectives to help you navigate your leadership and growth journey.In our very first episode, Stack Overflow CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar talks to Don Woodlock, Head of Global Healthcare Solutions at InterSystems, about the challenges in their AI journey and the critical role of a robust data strategy in any successful AI initiative.They also:Discuss the importance of maintaining a human-centric approach when automating processes with GenAI, emphasizing trust-building as a top priority.Dive deep into specific use cases and real-world successes and obstacles in AI implementation, from data scalability to system integration.Share their perspectives on common misconceptions about AI in today’s landscape.Episode notes:Connect with Don Woodlock on LinkedIn, explore his video series Code to Care, and learn more about InterSystems.Read more about Knowledge-as-a-service.Learn more about creating a private instance of Stack Overflow for your team or org with, Stack Overflow for Teams. Read more about OverflowAPI, a subscription-based API service that provides continuous access to Stack Overflow’s public dataset to train and fine-tune large language models.

Zach Lloyd, Founder and CEO of Warp, shares insights on revolutionizing the command line with intelligent tools. He discusses the transformative impact of AI in simplifying command usage, making it accessible to more developers. The conversation also touches on the shift from WebTech to Rust for improved performance, as well as the complexities of creating efficient rendering stacks for terminal applications. Zach envisions a future where AI enhances the developer experience by automating mundane tasks and streamlining command-line interactions.

Jeremy Kelway, VP of Engineering for Analytics, Data, and AI at EDB, shares his wealth of knowledge on the capabilities of Postgres in the realm of generative AI. He highlights Postgres as a top choice for AI applications due to its stability and community backing. The discussion covers the integration of diverse data types and the implications of regulations like GDPR. They also delve into the emerging trends of retrieval augmented generation and the importance of data sovereignty, emphasizing the need for robust data management strategies in AI.

Episode notes:Infineon is a global semiconductor company for power systems and IoT.You can connect with Clark and Alexander on LinkedIn. Congrats to Lifeboat badge winner hdsenevi for their answer on Unrecognized font family 'Roboto' - React Native iOS.

Tanya Janka, DevRel at Semgrep and author of two insightful books about secure coding, shares her tech journey and passion for teaching. She dives into the Alice and Bob framework, making complex cryptographic concepts relatable. Tanya emphasizes modern programming languages for enhanced security, while exploring ways to improve C programming without compromising freedom. Input validation is highlighted as essential in preventing vulnerabilities, along with the challenges faced by CISOs in advocating security within teams.

Olga Barogovaya, VP of AI at Smartling and expert in AI-powered translation solutions, discusses the evolution of natural language processing from rule-based systems to specialized machine learning models. She highlights the importance of fine-tuning in translation and the role of human translators. The conversation covers the advantages of specialized models in various sectors like healthcare and the complexities of handling personally identifiable information. Olga also addresses the challenges of translation workflows in business, emphasizing the need for human oversight.