The MAD Podcast with Matt Turck

Nathan Benaich, founder of Air Street Capital and creator of the influential 'State of AI' report, discusses the latest trends in AI. He highlights a shift from existential concerns to a monetization race in the industry. Nathan predicts the emergence of generative AI apps that could dominate app charts by 2025, and he dives into the state of foundational models. He also addresses the obstacles in humanoid robotics and the implications of global AI regulations, showcasing an evolving landscape in technology investment.

Aman Kabeer, an investor at FirstMark Capital, shares his expertise on the booming AI market. He highlights OpenAI's record funding and massive investments from tech giants like Meta and Google. The duo debates whether we're in an AI bubble and discusses surging GPU demand that may lead to a nuclear energy revival. They also explore opportunities for startups in AI hardware and software, emphasizing the transformative impact of AI on business models and consumer applications. Kabeer brings a sharp insight on the evolving landscape of AI investing.

Erik Bernhardsson, CEO of Modal and former Spotify developer, shares insights on transforming the AI infrastructure landscape. He discusses the shift from training to inference as a primary focus and highlights Modal's goal of simplifying the developer experience. Erik explains the challenges of GPU accessibility and the emergence of specialized AI cloud providers. He also envisions a future filled with AI-native consumer applications, emphasizing the importance of creating products that developers love and efficient feedback loops.

Jordan Tigani, CEO of MotherDuck and founding engineer of Google BigQuery, challenges the dominance of Big Data. He argues that most companies find Big Data overkill and introduces Small Data as a more efficient alternative. Jordan shares insights into MotherDuck's innovative DuckDB platform, emphasizing its speed and simplicity. He recounts his entrepreneurial journey, discusses marketing challenges in tech, and explores the shift towards community-driven approaches in data management. Tune in for a fresh perspective on data handling that could revolutionize the industry!

Clem Delangue, Co-founder and CEO of Hugging Face, discusses how his company has transformed from a chatbot project to a $4.5B platform for open-source AI, highlighting its role in fostering community collaboration. He delves into the shifting dynamics of AI, comparing the approaches of the U.S. and China. The conversation touches on the evolution of AI modalities beyond text, the importance of company culture, and innovative hiring practices that prioritize teamwork. Clem also shares insights on the future of customized AI solutions and the impact of investment in emerging technologies.

Richard Socher, a serial entrepreneur and AI pioneer, shares his transformative views on AI's impact, likening it to the Industrial Revolution and the Renaissance. He delves into the complexities of AI agents, the potential for hybrid AI architectures, and the evolving landscape of You.com. Socher discusses the Jevons Paradox and how AI's rising efficiency is reshaping industries. He also reflects on the challenges faced during early deep learning research and his current investment strategies in AI startups, highlighting the future of collaboration between humans and AI.

Tobie Morgan Hitchcock, founder and CEO of SurrealDB, dives into the cutting-edge world of databases designed for modern developers. He discusses how SurrealDB merges document, graph, and time-series data to streamline backend processes. Tobie reveals the advantages of separating storage from compute for scalability and the decision to rewrite the platform in Rust for enhanced performance. He also highlights SurrealDB's capabilities for real-time analytics and AI integration, offering insights into the future of data management.

Olivier Pomel, co-founder and CEO of Datadog, shares the remarkable journey of transforming Datadog into a tech giant from early rejections. He emphasizes their open product development philosophy that prioritizes customer insights. The conversation dives into the launch of new products like DASH for LLM observability and innovative tools like Toto for time series forecasting. Olivier also discusses integrating AI in operations and the challenges faced in anomaly detection, providing a fascinating look at the nexus of technology, customer collaboration, and AI.

In this episode, we sit down with Ali Dasdan, CTO of ZoomInfo, a titan in the B2B sector, who harnesses vast datasets and advanced AI to redefine sales and marketing for over 35,000 global customers with $21.2 billion in annualized revenue. We delve deep into ZoomInfo's AI initiatives, including their transformative 'Copilot,' explore sophisticated data management, and discuss their dual platforms catering to internal and customer-facing needs. ZoomInfo Website - https://www.zoominfo.com Twitter - https://x.com/zoominfo Ali Dasdan LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dasdan Twitter - https://x.com/alidasdan FIRSTMARK Website - https://firstmark.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/FirstMarkCap Matt Turck (Managing Director) LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/turck/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattturck (00:00) Intro (02:03) What is ZoomInfo (04:47) Data as service (06:15) Ali Dasdan's story (07:31) Organization of ZoomInfo (10:48) ZoomInfo Data Platform (21:02) Lessons from building a data platform (23:19) AI application at ZoomInfo (27:58) ZoomInfo's Copilot (37:43) ZoomInfo AI toolstack (39:30) Working with small vs. big companies in the AI business (43:39) Using data and AI for internal productivity

Eric Glyman, co-founder of Ramp, a $7.6 billion finance management company, shares his insights on fostering urgency in teams by counting days since Ramp's founding. He discusses the transformative use of AI for automating expense management and fraud detection. Glyman highlights the innovative Ramp Intelligence Suite, which leverages generative AI to enhance productivity, and delves into creating a culture of rapid product development in New York's vibrant startup ecosystem.