Why Most Chief Data Officers Fail w/ Malcolm Hawker
After 1,500+ conversations with CDOs and VPs of data , guest Malcolm Hawker noticed a disturbing pattern: a "limiting mindset" that causes data leaders to fail. He argues that too many leaders blame external factors such as "culture" , "data literacy", or a lack of support rather than taking accountability for delivering value.In this conversation, Malcolm breaks down how this mindset is reinforced by the analyst and consultant community and why it leads to a "value fatigue" where no one can prove their own ROI. He offers a clear path forward, starting with a simple 3-question framework for any new CDO and explains why "culture" is actually an outcome of delivering value, not a prerequisite for it. We also discuss his new book, "The Data Hero Playbook," tackle the "AI Ready" myth , explaining why conflating it with "BI Ready" is holding companies back and why your data is likely "good enough" to start right now.
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We're Losing Our Ability to Be Human w/ AI Ethicist Cecilia Dones
In this conversation, Dr. Cecilia Dones and I discuss the social skills we're losing as AI becomes more integrated into our lives. We explore the erosion of social norms, from AI companions joining Zoom calls without consent, endless enshitified content, to my son's generation calling AI girlfriends "clankers".Is there hope? We break down the "rage currency" that dominates media and the positive AI stories that go unheard. The biggest takeaway: as the world becomes more synthetic, "showing up" in person will become the ultimate "premium value."
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Freestyle Fridays - Eroding the Edges. What Does AI Mean For Products?
In conversations I've been having with leaders and practitioners, there's some open-ended questions about the impact of AI on vendors and open-source projects. If you don't have a moat, you need to start thinking about how AI coding tools will erode the edges of your product. And what about getting users and traction? I cover this and much more in this episode. Enjoy!
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Data as the Fourth Pillar: How CDOs Can Move from "Cost Center" to "Offense" with Sujay Dutta and Siddharth Rajagopal
Sujay Dutta and Sidd Rajagopal, authors of "Data as the Fourth Pillar," join the show to make the compelling case that for C-suite leaders obsessed with AI, data must be elevated to the same level as people, process, and technology.They provide a practical playbook for Chief Data Officers (CDOs) to escape the "cost center" trap by focusing on the "demand side" (business value) instead of just the "supply side" (technology). They also introduce frameworks like "Data Intensity" and "Total Addressable Value (TAV)" for data.We also tackle the reality of AI "slopware" and the "Great Pacific garbage patch" of junk data , explaining how to build the critical "context" (or "Data Intelligence Layer") that most GenAI projects are missing. Finally, they explain why the CDO must report directly to the CEO to play "offense," not defense.
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The 2025 MAD Landscape w/ Matt Turck
Matt Turck (VC at FirstMark) joins the show to break down the most controversial MAD (Machine Learning, AI, and Data) Landscape yet. This year, the team "declared bankruptcy" and cut over 1,000 logos to better reflect the market reality: a "Cambrian explosion" of AI companies and a fierce "struggle and tension between the very large companies and the startups".Matt discusses why incumbents are "absolutely not lazy" , which categories have "largely just gone away" (like Customer Data Platforms and Reverse ETL) , and what new categories (like AI Agents and Local AI) are emerging. We also cover his investment thesis in a world dominated by foundation models, the "very underestimated" European AI scene , and whether an AI could win a Nobel Prize by 2027.https://www.mattturck.com/mad2025
What happens when a best-selling author and "recovering data scientist" gets a microphone? This podcast.
I'm Joe Reis, and each week I broadcast from wherever I am in the world, sharing candid thoughts on the data, tech, and AI industry.
Sometimes it's a solo rant. Other times, I'm chatting with the smartest people I know.
If you're looking for an unfiltered perspective on the state of AI, data, and tech, you've found it.
Ireland