AI Radicals

Latest Episodes:

Data Governance: Any “Dummy” Can Do It! with Dr. Jonathan Reichental, Author & Founder of Human Future Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

Data governance is often seen as a confusing topic but everyone, even dummies, are capable of applying it to their organization. By starting with the “why” and acting on the most critical pieces, you can build a successful data governance initiative.

In this episode, Satyen interviews Dr. Jonathan Reichental, author of Data Governance for Dummies and Founder of Human Future. He is an Adjunct Professor at several universities, including the University of San Francisco, Pepperdine University, and Menlo College. Dr. Reichental also served as the Chief Information Officer at both O’Reilly Media and the city of Palo Alto, California. Satyen and Dr. Reichental discuss implementing data governance step-by-step, avoiding common governance pitfalls, and the future of smart cities.

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“I do think in the long run though, data governance is not about a narrow target. You will build a better business if you hire all the right people, if you build the right products, and deliver the right services, not by doing just one thing and doing it really well. It's a comprehensive approach to running a successful business, as you know well. And I think data governance should be thought of in the short term as targeting some very specific things, but long term as a cultural shift in how you actually think about data and how you use data on the backend and in the front end of your business.” – Dr. Jonathan Reichental

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Time Stamps:

*(01:34): Dr. Reichental dives into his book Data Governance for Dummies

*(08:51): How to convince people to invest in data

*(13:27): Dr. Reichental defines data governance and how it relates to data management

*(24:11): The signs a data culture is ready for governance

*(42:42): Dr. Reichental’s opinion on cryptocurrency and blockchain

*(47:20): Satyen’s Takeaways

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Sponsor

This podcast is presented by Alation.

Learn more:

* Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.alation.com/podcast/

* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/

* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/

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Links

Follow Jonathan on LinkedIn

Follow Jonathan on Twitter

Read Jonathan’s book Data Governance for Dummies

Visit Jonathan’s website

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Humanizing AI: Authentic Storytelling with Jepson (Ben) Taylor, Chief AI Strategist, Dataiku Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

Vulnerability is an important quality often overlooked in the world of tech. Yet being vulnerable and authentic helps you to set realistic expectations, speak with executives on a human level, and connect with your audience.

In this episode, Satyen interviews Jepson (Ben) Taylor, Chief AI Strategist at Dataiku. Jepson is a visionary in the advancements of AI, ML, and data science. Prior to joining Dataiku, he served as the Chief AI Evangelist at DataRobot and co-founded the deep learning startup Zeff.ai, which was acquired by DataRobot in 2020. Jepson is a frequent industry speaker and collaborates with the data science community to improve AI and deep learning. Satyen and Jepson discuss the power of failure, the lie of job security, and proving data’s worth through storytelling.

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"If nothing is failing, then it's not a very innovative company, not a very innovative culture. So there is a fraction of failure that for a mature organization you should celebrate. But with failure, you have the time urgency. How can we fail faster? I'd rather fail this week than four months from now." – Jepson Taylor

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Time Stamps:

*(03:25): The special ingredient for speaking with executives

*(11:52): Learning to embrace the expectation of failure and failing fast

*(18:13): The two rules of good storytelling: authenticity and knowing your audience

*(30:47): Jepson’s advice for joining a startup and the lie of job security

*(44:08): The importance of celebrating the soul of your user

*(50:43): Satyen’s Takeaways

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Sponsor

This podcast is presented by Alation.

Learn more:

* Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.alation.com/podcast/

* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/

* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/

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Links

Follow Jepson on LinkedIn

Follow Jepson on Twitter

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Your RFP is Useless with Paul Leonardi, Duca Family Professor of Technology Management, UCSB Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

It’s time to launch your digital transformation – but first you’ll need new tools. Buyer, beware: Technology selection is tough because it’s impossible to predict the future. How can leaders take this journey with clarity and confidence? In this episode, Satyen interviews professor Paul Leonardi, author of The Digital Mindset, to learn the answer.

Paul is an expert in digital transformation and organizational change, Duca Family Professor of Technology Management at UC Santa Barbara, author of 4 books on technological innovation, and consults major tech companies like Google and Microsoft. Satyen sits down with Paul to discuss the skills leaders need to thrive in a digital landscape, how to demonstrate ROI with data, and why beta testing new software is critical for successful tech selection.

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“Many of our organizations today are not used to thinking about data as a byproduct of actions that we take on the suite of tools that we use to do our work. And a data culture, for me, is one that recognizes that almost everything we do produces data in some way, shape, or form. And we can use those data, maybe to our advantage, but at least we can use those data to explore, ‘Can they tell us things that we might not know or otherwise have access to, if we aren't perceptive and thinking about where those data exist and how we might use them?’” – Paul Leonardi

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Time Stamps

*(01:47) How an organizational change expert views behavior and data

*(15:04) The importance of beta testing technology’s functionality

*(18:04) Skills digital leaders need to thrive in the world of digital algorithms and AI

*(22:17) Paul’s inspiration behind authoring The Digital Mindset

*(27:42) The 30% knowledge rule of surviving in a digital environment

*(38:52) Paul breaks down what a digital mindset is

*(46:11) How to successfully convince executives to invest in technology

*(54:12) Satyen’s Takeaways

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Sponsor

This podcast is presented by Alation.

Learn more:

* Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.alation.com/podcast/

* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/

* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/

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Links

Follow Paul on LinkedIn

Check out Paul’s Website

Read Paul’s book The Digital Mindset

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Premature Enumeration with Tim Harford, Senior Columnist, The Financial Times and Author of The Data Detective Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Data has never been more readily available, yet the world seems more confusing than ever. In this episode, Satyen interviews Tim Harford, who’s on a mission to help everyone become a Data Radical.

As a Senior Columnist for The Financial Times, author of The Data Detective, and host of the Cautionary Tales podcast, Tim joins us ready to change how we view numbers—and in turn, the world. Him and Satyen discuss everything from how he develops ideas for stories driven by data to fostering a spirit of curiosity in how we approach the world (and try to change it).

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“Approach the world and numbers with a spirit of curiosity. Very often we don't behave like we like curiosity. We often like simple answers or we often like to just win an argument. But the world is a confusing place. The world is fascinating—I have questions and maybe the data can help me answer those questions. If that's the spirit with which you approach the data, then obstacles become intriguing. Mysteries become satisfying puzzles. Arguments turn into constructive, exploratory questions and it's just a lot more fun.” - Tim Harford

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Time Stamps

* (2:26) How an award-winning storyteller approaches his work

* (8:13) Data brings people comfort and knowledge in times of crisis (like the pandemic)

* (16:50) A glimpse into Tim’s book The Data Detective

* (19:49) The importance of “the stuff around numbers” in increasing data literacy

* (25:03) Approaching the world with humility and curiosity

* (37:15) How you can be an undercover economist

* (39:10) Satyen’s Takeaways

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Sponsor

This podcast episode is presented by Experian.

Learn more:

* Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.alation.com/podcast/

* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/

* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/

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Links

Follow Tim on LinkedIn

Check out Tim's Podcast Cautionary Tales

Read Tim’s Book “The Data Detective”

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Season 2 Trailer Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

The second season of the Data Radicals podcast launches on February 15th! I’m your host, Satyen Sangani.

In TV, some second seasons can be disappointing. After a triumphant season one, there’s no more story to tell.

Fortunately, that’s not the case in tech. Innovations, discoveries, and market movement — plus a new round of guest stars — guarantee plenty of plots and intrigue, all with one common theme: data.

Last season, we heard from industry leaders, journalists, analysts, and founders. They gave expert advice for using data to navigate any struggle: from overhauling your company’s governance strategy… to even getting a date!

These data radicals see things that nobody else can. And this next season is no different. We have incredible guests lined up who will give you the tools you need to bring your business – and career – to the next level.

We’re welcoming guests like: Tim Harford, of the BBC’s More or Less; Jonathan Reichental, Author of Data Governance for Dummies; Mike Capone, CEO of Qlik (and Talend), Ameen Kazerouni, CTO of OrangeTheory, and so many more.

So tap the follow button and get ready to hear radical strategies from the most innovative minds in the world.

Welcome to season two of Data Radicals!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Data Governance 101: All You Need to Know (But Were Afraid to Ask) Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Data governance isn’t easy. It demands a vision, strategy, and clear-cut plan that ultimately supports the business. Many have tried, and failed, to lead governance initiatives. What can we learn from the rare few who have led these tricky projects to success?

Learn top tips in this supercut episode, which compiles the best data governance advice from season 1. Featuring Bob Seiner of KIK Consulting, Jennifer Belissent, Principal Data Strategist at Snowflake, Francesco Marzoni, CDO of Inkga Group, Michelle Hoiseth, former CDO of Parexel, and more!

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“We were, very much, very careful about using language around data enablement, not data governance. Yes, there’s a certain amount of this, of course, that’s about control. But it’s control and service to the aims of the business. It’s not a gate control for the sake of pure defensive posture. As a business, we needed to be able to do more with our data. It’s been an educational journey and it had to be timed with the advanced analytics initiatives.” - Michelle Hoiseth, former CDO of Parexel

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Time Stamps

* (1:12) What is Data Governance?

* (4:38) How to get stakeholders excited about governance

* (7:10) Making your implementation a success

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Sponsor

This podcast is presented by Alation.

Learn more:

* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/

* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/

* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/

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Links

* Connect with guest Bob Seiner on LinkedIn

* Connect with guest Paola Saibene on LinkedIn

* Follow guest Francesco Marzoni on LinkedIn

* Follow guest Jennifer Belissent on LinkedIn

* Follow guest Wendy Turner-Williams on LinkedIn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How Extreme Focus Launched the Modern Data Stack with George Fraser and Taylor Brown, Founders of Fivetran Nov 23, 2022

Show notes

The modern data stack, sparked by the Redshift revolution and furthered by cloud-platform players like Snowflake and Databricks, forever changed the data integration landscape. Realizing that ETL tools badly underperformed in the cloud, Fivetran strengthened the stack with an ELT pipeline to perform transformations within the data warehouse environment.

George Fraser, Fivetran Co-Founder and CEO, and Taylor Brown, Fivetran Co-Founder and COO, join us in this episode to discuss their founding story — from Y Combinator to $5.6 billion valuation — and the hard reality that data’s role is often to prove your assumptions are wrong.

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“Taylor was the one who really locked onto this term years ago. I remember him saying ‘modern data stack, that's what we're doing.’ And it was not a commonly used term at the time. He's like, ‘that's the term we need to lock onto.’ Over the years it has really grown, but he has a decent amount to do with the present day popularity of that term.” — George Fraser

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Time Stamps

* (0:00) A deep dive into Fivetran

* (10:10) Navigating the product journey

* (15:02) Normalization vs denormalization

* (17:00) The power of saying “no”

* (20:15) Inventing the Modern Data Stack

* (27:26) The future of Fivetran

* (29:47) Making data-driven decisions

* (33:20) Advice for building your own data culture

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Sponsor

This podcast is presented by Alation.

Learn more:

* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/

* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/

* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/

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Links

Connect with George on LinkedIn

Connect with Taylor on LinkedIn

Check out Fivetran

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

DataOps and the Data Catalog with Guest Speaker Michele Goetz, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Forrester Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

DataOps is having a moment. Where does it sit in the data lifecycle? And how is this emerging trend changing data management today? To find out, Satyen sits down with guest speaker Michele Goetz, author of The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Data Catalogs for DataOps.

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“DataOps is really the engineering and practices of designing and developing data capabilities, launching them out to production and ensuring that they're providing value and delivering on the outcomes that businesses expect in being able to use that data.” — Guest Speaker Michele Goetz

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Time Stamps

* (0:00) The birth of DataOps

* (2:43) What is DataOps?

* (11:18) DataOps and the Data Mesh

* (18:41) Diving into data prep

* (22:09) Tackling data governance for your data catalog

* (31:17) The future of the data cataloging landscape

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Sponsor

This podcast is presented by Alation.

Learn more:

* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/

* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/

* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/

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Links

Connect with guest speaker Michele on LinkedIn

Check out Forrester

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Turning Librarians Into Supercomputers with Deb Seys, Senior Director of Learning & Communities, Alation Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

Librarians have played a crucial role in the management of data throughout history. From the halls of the Library of Alexandria to the Library of Congress all the way to your elementary school: librarians have been the guardians of our knowledge for thousands of years. But now that we’re in the digital age…has that role shifted? That’s what we’re exploring today.

Deb Seys, Senior Director of Learning and Communities at Alation, is a passionate librarian who has made the jump from the dewey decimal system to the data catalogue. She shares with us how data is the most powerful tool in a librarian’s arsenal, how data can better your user experience, the steps to finding the best answers for any question, and much more.

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"One of the most misunderstood things about data is that it’s this objective hard thing that sits there and reveals something. It’s just not true at all. A lot of the work of documenting metrics is about what's important to a group of people, and then using that to tell a story or make a decision." - Deb Seys

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Time Stamps

* (0:00) How librarians have championed data for millennia

* (4:25) The modern-day librarian’s biggest ally is the data catalogue

* (8:24) Understanding the basics of data

* (14:45) How to be a data-driven librarian

* (17:09) The relationship between data and user experience at eBay

* (22:04) The secret to finding the right answers

* (26:52) Creating the right data mindset

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Sponsor

This podcast is presented by Alation.

Learn more:

* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/

* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/

* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/

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Links

Connect with Deb on LinkedIn

Check out Alation

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From Data Strategy to Execution with Steve Pimblett, CDO, The Very Group Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, CDO Steve Pimblett of The Very Group describes the four pillars of extracting value from data and shares how he’s built a successful B2C data team. Steve shares his advice for CDOs just starting off or maybe years into the role. He discusses optimizing your data strategy, making your business more data-driven, leveraging account managers, and much more.

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“Set up some sort of an internal agency to see how you can make business areas more data-driven.” - Steve Pimblett

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Time Stamps

* (2:28) What CDOs should know on day one

* (8:44) A deep dive into The Very Group

* (14:26) How to approach your company’s data strategy

* (20:56) Using data to better approach tough conversations

* (22:59) Account managers are your secret weapon

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Sponsor

This podcast is presented by Alation.