Stay ConnectedI’m Joe Reis, co-author of Fundamentals of Data Engineering, creator of Mixed Model Arts, international speaker, and long-time observer of the tech industry’s favorite recurring mistakes.
Weekly broadcasts from somewhere on the road. Expect raw solo rants and long-form conversations with the engineers and leaders actually building things. I dive into data, AI, architecture, and career survival.
This podcast is invitation-only. Unsolicited guest pitches and PR outreach are not considered.
Copyright: © Joe Reis
Some people speculate that AI will make software and data engineers obsolete. If the only thing engineers do is write code, sure.
But we do a lot more than that, and I believe we'll actually need more engineers, not fewer.
In this episode, I discuss how I think AI will change the craft of software and data engineering. Spoiler - I think it will make it way more fun and productive.
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Thanks to dbt and GoodData for sponsoring this episode. Please support them, as they're awesome.
dbt Launch Showcase
Join dbt Labs May 28 for the dbt Launch Showcase to hear from executives and product leaders about the latest features landing in dbt. See firsthand how features will empower data practitioners and organizations in the age of AI.
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GoodData Webinar
Analytics and data engineering used to live in separate worlds—different teams, different tools, different goals. But the lines are blurring fast. As modern data products demand speed, scale, and seamless integration, the best teams are embracing engineering principles and best practices.
In this no-BS conversation, Ryan Dolley, Matt Housley, and Joe Reis, dive into how engineering principles are transforming the way analytics is built, delivered, and scaled.
📆 May 27, 2025🕘 9:00 AM PDT, 12:00 PM EDT, 6:00 PM CEST🔗 Register here!
Laura McDonald is an enterprise account executive, and she walks me through navigating the complex world of enterprise sales. We chat about the sales cycle, the importance of building relationships, the challenges of navigating long complicated procurement processes, and much more. Whether you're a sales rookie, an experienced salesperson, a founder, or just interested in sales, you'll learn something new from this conversation.
I've spoken all over the world, at the biggest events, the most intimately small, and everywhere in between. In this Practical Data Community lunch and learn, I share some experiences with public speaking, give some advice on getting your first public speaking gig, how to prepare, preparing talks, dealing with stage fright, getting paid, and much more. Enjoy!
From the Practical Data Lunch and Learn, May 9, 2025
Dia Adams and Gordon Wong join me for a chat about data strategy in the age of AI.
Michael Drogalis joins me to chat about building his company - Shadow Traffic - in public. We discuss sales, the psychological toll of rejection, the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship, and strategies for audience building and content creation.
John Giles joins me to discuss his new book, "The Data Elephant in the Board Room," conceptual modeling, the unreasonable effectiveness of data modeling patterns, and more.
Zhamak Dehghani joins the Practical Data Community for an open-ended Q&A about autonomous data products, Data Mesh, NextData and much more.
NextData: https://www.nextdata.com/Practical Data Community: https://discord.gg/gNfw5AKWSK
I've recently spoken to several groups of students (undergrad and graduate) about the data industry, career advice, and more. Here, I distill some of my major points about careers, finding work, and more.
If you're graduating this Spring 2025, congrats!
This episode is brought to you by GoodData.
Jessica Talisman and I hang out at my home and chat about libraries, data, ontologies, knowledge, shitty tech jobs, and much more.
Sarah McKenna joins me to chat about all things web scraping. We discuss its applications, the evolution of alternative data, and AI's impact on the industry. We also discuss privacy concerns, the challenges of bot blocking, and the importance of data quality. Sarah shares ideas on how to get started with web scraping and the ethical considerations surrounding copyright and data collection.
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