Code & Connor is where Connor Deeks and Dorian Smiley ask the questions most AI podcasts won't. Two founders — one strategist, one engineer — in honest conversations with executives, builders, and practitioners about what's actually happening at the intersection of AI and the enterprise. Learn from collaborations with customers and partners, see Codestrap's technology in action, and get perspective on the hottest issues within the AI industry. No hype. Just real, unvarnished discussion with the industry's smartest people.
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CxC Ep32: Private Equity’s AI Reality Check - with Lee McCabe (Claymore Partners)
Thursday, May 28, 2026 • Duration 01:05:28
This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Lee McCabe of Claymore Partners to discuss the convergence of AI and private equity, why firms are struggling to create operational value, and the growing disconnect between AI hype and real-world business fundamentals.
Lee is a partner at Claymore Partners, a digital-first growth advisory firm helping private equity and their portfolio companies drive operational improvement through technology, data, and digital transformation. Prior to Claymore, Lee held leadership roles at Expedia, Meta, and Alibaba, and has spent over 25 years working across growth, operations, and digital strategy.
In this episode, we discuss:
→ Why private equity can no longer rely on financial engineering alone
→ The operational changes PE firms need to survive the current market
→ Why most companies still lack the data foundations required for AI
→ How AI amplifies both strong and broken business processes
→ The growing risks around enterprise AI costs, token usage, and infrastructure constraints
→ OpenAI and Anthropic’s partnerships with private equity firms
→ The disconnect between AI deployment headlines and actual business readiness
→ Where AI is already creating measurable enterprise value
→ How PE firms could use AI for pattern recognition, deal sourcing, and operational analysis
→ What private equity can learn from venture capital branding and media strategies
→ The rise of digital-first PE firms focused on operational transformation
Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!
Claymore Partners
Website: https://www.claymorepartners.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/claymorepartners/
Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leemccabe/
Codestrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
CxC Ep31: DevEx Matters: Snowflake Gets It Right With Cortex Code - with Umesh Unnikrishnan (Snowflake)
Thursday, May 21, 2026 • Duration 01:01:43
This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Umesh Unnikrishnan of Snowflake to discuss the evolution from vibe coding to agentic engineering, how AI is reshaping developer workflows, and why trusted data platforms are becoming the control plane for the agentic enterprise.
Umesh is the Head of Developer Experiences at Snowflake, where he's focused on building and scaling Cortex Code, Snowflake’s data-native AI coding agent, helping builders go from idea to production faster. Prior to Snowflake, he held leadership positions at Google, Microsoft, and Pinterest making complex data and AI systems intuitive for developers. He has also been an investor and operator in high-growth startups.
Snowflake is powering the shift to the agentic enterprise, where AI doesn’t just generate insights, but takes action on trusted data. With tools like Snowflake Intelligence for business users and Cortex Code for builders, Snowflake serves as the control plane for enterprises bringing data, AI, and governance together in a single platform.
In this episode, we discuss:
→ The shift from vibe coding prototypes to production-ready agentic engineering
→ How Cortex Code helps developers build and manage complex data pipelines faster
→ Why governance, auditability, and security matter for enterprise AI systems
→ The growing importance of context engineering and AI-native developer workflows
→ How Snowflake is positioning itself as the control plane for the agentic enterprise
→ Why APIs, markdown documentation, and command-line tooling are critical for AI agents
→ The rise of agent-first developer experience and AI-native software design
→ Why enterprises are rethinking token usage, ROI, and AI infrastructure costs
→ How AI is accelerating migrations from legacy systems like Oracle and SQL Server
→ Why the future of software development requires broader “full stack builder” skill sets
→ The role of monorepos, platform engineering, and scalable developer systems in the AI era
Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!
Snowflake
Website: https://www.snowflake.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snowflake-computing
Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umeshunni/
Codestrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrogojan/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
CxC Ep24: AI on the World Stage
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 • Duration 01:02:23
This week on Code x Connor, Unit8 co-founder & CTO Michal Rachtan joins us to debrief the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos and discuss global perspectives around AI.
As CTO at Unit8, a Swiss-based data + AI services company, Michal leads a team of over 160 deploying production-grade data platforms and agentic solutions for major global enterprises in the life sciences, manufacturing, and financial sectors. Prior to launching Unit8, Michal served as a Tech Lead and Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir, where he was instrumental in helping massive organizations implement and scale complex data platforms.
In this episode, we discuss:
→ Attitudes around sovereign infrastructure and AI at Davos
→ What world leaders are actually prioritizing in 2026
→ Jamie Dimon’s hot take on AI deployment and job loss
→ Policy and implementation in Europe vs. the US
→The impact of regulation on startups and innovation
→ Navigating partnerships with industry giants like Palantir and OpenAI
→ Misconceptions around Palantir’s data collection and pricing
→ Building data foundations for AI coding that actually works
Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!
Unit8
Website: https://unit8.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unit8/
Michal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michal-rachtan/
CodeStrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
CxC Ep23: Scaling Ontologies
Thursday, February 19, 2026 • Duration 01:08:09
CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 23 features our friend Francisco Ferreira, Founder and CEO of Datalinks, a company that is laser-focused on bringing human understanding to the core of the data and AI value chains.
Prior to founding Datalinks, Francisco spent 9 years at Palantir. At Palantir, he architected and created the product and infrastructure group for Skywise, the world’s biggest aviation platform, growing it from 3 airlines to 100+. He went on to create the Developer Relations groups and co-led Channel partners. Before Palantir, he had a multi-year stint at eBay.
This episode focuses on:
→ Francisco’s journey from Palantir to DataLinks
→ Large scale integrations and how to do them successfully
→ Why a clean ontology matters and how to build reusable components
→ What Datalinks is working on, including AI-generated ontologies
→ Enhanced search/retrieval across complex data relationships
→ The AI Bubble
→ AI model benchmarks and the pressures to align to them
→ Frontier models, open-source, small language models
Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!
Datalinks
Website: https://datalinks.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datasetlinks
Francisco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscomsferreira/
CodeStrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
CxC Ep22: AI Shifted Minds, New Business Models Will Move Markets
Monday, January 26, 2026 • Duration 01:09:06
CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 22 features our friend Robert Fidler, General Manager of Valinor Streamline. Prior to joining Valinor, Rob spent five years as a Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir Technologies, working on projects with a variety of civilian agencies such as the FDA. He also spent 2 years as a Software Engineer at Chapter building their core technology layer.
Our 22nd episode focuses on Valinor, unpacking "a constellation of mission-aligned products", and the new business models that are the true disruptive forces moving economies. We also discuss the problem with government procurement around national security, how Valinor unlocks innovation at the product level (e.g., Streamline), the advantages from strategic partnerships with Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, Helsing, unpacking Streamline and demoing the product, the importance of public-facing apps and structured writeback even in disconnected, offline environments, Ontology-native data capture, syncs, and application examples across Real Estate, Military, Manufacturing, Mining and more.
Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!
Valinor Streamline
Website (Valinor): https://www.valinor.co/about
Website (Streamline): https://www.valinor.co/products/streamline
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valinor-enterprises/
Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-fidler-9299944a/
Rob’s Blog: https://bobbyfidz.tech/
CodeStrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
CxC Ep21: Will AI and Edtech restore America's Education System?
Thursday, January 15, 2026 • Duration 01:23:31
CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 21 features friend Bill Salak, CTO and CTO of Brainly. At Brainly, he’s helped scale one of the world’s largest AI-powered learning platforms, serving 15 million learners daily. Bill has over two decades of leadership driving transformative technology at Age of Learning, AOL, HBO, ETS, Hasbro, NBC-Universal, and even the U.S. Army.
Our 21st episode focuses on, the state of AI and its current limitations, AI in education, the state of education in the U.S. K-12 and above, how can we use AI to improve student outcomes in light of the recent findings , how is AI impacting students negatively and positively, the AI impact on young children specifically around learning, and the state of edtech
Brainly
Website: https://brainly.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brainly-com/
Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billsalak/
CodeStrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
CxC Ep20:Winning the AI Software Race
Sunday, January 4, 2026 • Duration 01:12:20
CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 20 features our friend Chad Wahlquist. Chad is a Forward Deployed Architect at Palantir and serves customers and the developer audience with business-focused solutions and product exposure that the developer and customer community yearn for.
On this episode we discuss Chad’s journey from Tyson to Palantir, solving business problems during crises, the AIP launch and compounding features, MMDP and unlocking interoperability, the Palantir product roadmap and filling in gaps in enterprise architecture, pairing with Akshay and ensure the product is refined and understandable, NVIDIA partnership and setting the technical standard for optimization, software that dominates across government and commercial, AI FDE and the balance with human capital cultivation, and focusing on iteration against the unknown unknowns.
Palantir
Website: https://www.palantir.com/
Free Dev Tier: https://www.palantir.com/developers/
Lightweight Transform Deep Dive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MITSJDI08R4
Multi-modal Data Plane: https://www.palantir.com/interoperability/
Chad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-wahlquist/
CodeStrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
CxC Ep19: Can AI Save Government Procurement From Itself?
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 • Duration 01:03:45
CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 19 features our friend August Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Hazel. Hazel is an AI-powered procurement platform that helps federal, state, and local partners compress procurement cycles from months to minutes and save millions on what they purchase. Hazel launched out of Y Combinator in 2024 and is backed by the investors behind Palantir and Anduril. Before founding Hazel, August led mission-critical deployments at Palantir, including working with Connor and Dorian at their former employer.
Our 19th episode examines government inefficiency through the lens of procurement, and why competitive pricing often breaks down in the public sector. We explore emerging tech approaches for fixing these gaps, including large-scale processing of unstructured data, LLM-driven solutions, and the broader willingness—or cultural resistance—within government to adopt new capabilities. The conversation also covers the expanding startup ecosystem focused on public-sector innovation, the rise of AI and data-center infrastructure, and why some tech CEOs are now (laughably) urging the government to help underwrite AI investment.
Hazel
Website: https://www.hazelai.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hazel-ai/
Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/hazel-2
August: https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustschen/
CodeStrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
CxC Ep18: What Scaled Foundry Looks Like
Monday, December 1, 2025 • Duration 01:13:01
CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 18 features our friend Nicolas Renkamp. Nicolas Renkamp is the Global Head of Platform Product Portfolio at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. One of the most important voices in the Palantir ecosystem, he was deeply involved in the development of Foundry DevTools, allowing us to interact with the Foundry APIs and develop transforms locally, and in 2025 he worked with Palantir to bring lightweight transforms to the next level and to everyone in platform.
He joined the company in 2019 and began working within the Palantir platform. He is also deeply involved with Merck’s deployment of AWS, Snowflake and Fivetran.
On this episode we discuss the scaling Foundry and managing the complexity, the evolution of DevTools and enhancing DexEx in Foundry, Foundry’s branching and integration of lightweight transforms, open data formats and Palantir’s Multimodal Data Plane, interoperability and identity federation challenges, the importance of platform automation, AI and automation in Foundry and impact on business users, and unlocking value through Natural Language Interfaces
Nicolas Renkamp:
LinkedIn: / nicolasrenkamp
Palantir Community: https://community.palantir.com/u/nico...
Foundry-Dev-Tools: https://github.com/nicornk
Nicolas & Chad: • Chad & Nicolas | Lightweight Transforms at...
Dorian: / dorian-smiley-97a72a14
Connor: / connordeeks
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411
CodeStrap (LI): / codestrap
CodeStrap:
CxC Ep17: Live from FuturOps! Interviews with Databricks and Fujitsu Intelligence
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 • Duration 01:08:18
CodeStrap's "Code and Connor" Episode 17 comes to you live from FuturOps in Dallas, TX on October 23, 2025. This episode features live interviews with Fred Abood, Lead Solutions Architect, at Databricks and Nicholas Lee, CEO, at Fujitsu Intelligence.
Connor’s presentation covers IIntelligence Augmentation, overcoming LLM’s 3 limitations, we introduced CodeStrap’s Larry - AI-assisted programming that scales, AI as an amplifier, Engineering as Ontology and the the Natural Language Interface for the Web
Our interview with Fred at Databrick covered the Databricks platform, their culture, history, developer community, partnership with Palantir Technologies, AI Coding, rivalry with Snowflake, and more!
Our interview with Nicholas at Fujitsu Intelligence covered their partnership with Palantir Technologies, everything they've accomplished with Foundry and AIP, and other ML & AI capabilities and offerings.
Databricks
Website: https://www.databricks.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/databricks/
Fred: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredabood/
Fujitsu Intelligence
Website: https://global.fujitsu/en-global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fujitsu/
Nicholas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasjlee/
CodeStrap
Dorian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorian-smiley-97a72a14/
Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connordeeks/
CodeStrap (X): https://x.com/CodeStrap411
CodeStrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!
2025 DORA Report: https://dora.dev/research/2025/dora-report/
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