The MAD Podcast with Matt Turck – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we dive deep into the story of how Datadog evolved from a single product to a multi-billion dollar observability platform with its co-founder, Olivier Pomel. Olivier shares exclusive insights on Datadog's unique approach to product development—why they avoid the "Apple approach" of building in secret and instead work closely with customers from day one.

You’ll hear about the early days when Paul Graham of Y Combinator turned down Datadog, questioning their lack of a first product. Olivier also reveals the strategies behind their iterative product launches and why they insist on charging early to ensure they’re delivering real value.

The second half of the conversation is focused on all things AI and data at Datadog - the company's initial reluctance to use AI in its products, how Generative AI changed everything, and Datadog's current AI efforts including Watchdog, Bits AI and Toto, their new time series foundational model.

We close the episode by asking Olivier about his thoughts on the topic du jour: founder mode! ▶️ Listen to 2020 Data Driven NYC episode with Oliver Pomel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXKEFHeEvMs DATADOG Website - https://www.datadoghq.com Twitter - https://x.com/datadoghq Olivier Pomel LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierpomel Twitter - https://x.com/oliveur 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

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

In this episode, we sat down with Renen Hallak, founder and CEO of VAST Data, a $9 billion company that's shaking the foundations of data storage, databases and compute functionality.

Through the conversation, we explore VAST's perspective on AI infrastructure, the process of selling over a billion dollars worth of software, and the technical innovations behind disaggregated, shared-everything architecture.

VAST Data

Website - https://www.vastdata.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/VAST_Data

Renen Hallak

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/renenh/

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
(01:40) What is VAST Data?
(02:56) The company was started in stealth mode. Why?
(03:42) Did VAST get lucky with the gen AI explosion?
(04:27) VAST Data founding story
(05:57) How does the company work across 2 continents?
(06:48) What made you think that you can disrupt the market?
(09:23) VAST architecture explained
(23:08) Moving from data storage to databases
(25:01) What was the hardest thing to build?
(26:32) How does VAST work with open source
(26:54) A glimpse into the future products
(28:22) The world without VAST: how it would've looked like
(29:45) Who were VAST's first customers?
(30:56) How do hedge funds use VAST?
(32:08) VAST's sales strategy
(34:04) Renen's transition from technical founder to CEO
(36:01) How do you hire great people?
(37:07) What was the hardest thing on your journey as a CEO?
(38:43) $9B CEO daily routine
(40:17) Difference between offices in NY and Israel
(42:07) Renen's learnings from sales

🔗 2024 MAD Landscape: https://mad.firstmark.com

📃 PDF: https://mattturck.com/landscape/mad2024.pdf

📃 Blog post: https://mattturck.com/mad2024/

In this episode, we delve into the 2024 machine learning, AI, and data scene (MAD), examining an evergrowing array of over 2011 logos, the meteoric rise of open-source AI, and the anticipated advancements in AI agents and edge AI technology.

Gain valuable perspectives on the saturated AI market, the dilemmas and prospects open source AI presents, and the continuous evolution of the modern data infrastructure. This episode covers a distinctive mix of analysis, industry perspectives, and foresight into the technological future.

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

Aman Kabeer (Investor)

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aman-kabeer/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AmanKabeer11

(00:00) Intro

(02:06) What is MAD?

(07:58) Open sourcing AI

(12:29) How open source affects commercial AI?

(21:02) Is the AI hype cycle over?

(26:39) Was 2023 a head fake for Gen AI? What about 2024?

(28:05) VC's perspective on AI

(30:54) Emerging of AI stack

(37:36) What are the areas VCs are excited about?

(41:04) Will full-stack AI platforms kill SaaS?

(42:42) Modern Data Stack: is it dead or alive?

(47:17) What's next for the MAD Landscape?

In this episode, we sat down with Morgan McGuire, Chief Scientist of Roblox, and the mind behind the magic of the virtual universe. Together we explore the spectrum of creativity on Roblox, from no-code experiences to professional game development, dive deep into the cutting-edge AI tools Roblox is deploying, and how these tools are democratizing game development.

Tune in to embark on a journey into the heart of creativity, technology, and community with Roblox. This is not just about playing games; it's about creating the future, one experience at a time.

ROBLOX

Website - https://www.roblox.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Roblox

Morgan McGuire

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-mcguire-660120210

Twitter - https://twitter.com/casualeffects

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

(01:05) Roblox is not a game, but a platform

(10:03) How does Roblox leverage Gen AI?

(13:34) How did the company start working on AI?

(21:26) AI Code Assist

(26:30) AI Material Generator

(32:07) ControlNet

(38:36) StarCoder

(43:40) Who works at Roblox?

In this episode, we sat down with Benedict Evans, a leading voice in the tech industry and a former partner at Andreessen Horowitz.

Known for his sharp insights and forward-thinking analysis, Benedict shares his expert perspective on what generative AI means for the future of technology, business, and society at large.

Specifically, we dive deep into the evolving landscapes of generative AI, augmented and virtual reality, and the critical issue of AI bias.

Join us as Benedict Evans provides a nuanced analysis of cutting-edge tech and shares his insights and perspectives on the road ahead.

BENEDICT EVANS

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedictevans/

Threads - https://www.threads.net/@benedictevans

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

(01:06) The AI platform shift in 2024

(05:54) Gen AI in 2024 vs. PC-boom in the 80-s

(13:24) Until AGI happens, there will be vertical-specific apps

(15:12) Should companies have an AI strategy?

(21:04) Platform shift OR paradigm shift?

(23:55) How should we think about AGI in 2024?

(34:08) Is gen AI grossly overhyped?

(36:27) AI bias and the hidden problems in data

(44:56) Apple Vision Pro and the future of AR/VR

In this episode, we sit down with Gary Little, CEO of Foursquare, to discuss Foursquare's remarkable evolution from a social app to a leader in location intelligence. Gary discusses how Foursquare uses smartphone ubiquity to create a global map through crowdsourcing, covering 190 countries and over 200 million points of interest. Learn about the challenges of managing complex, real-time datasets and how Foursquare employs machine learning and knowledge graphs to analyze foot traffic and device movements. The conversation also covers the critical role of privacy and data security in location tracking, especially in light of recent regulatory changes. Gary explains Foursquare's platform strategy, drawing parallels with Amazon's AWS, to enable customers to process and utilize location data for their applications. Foursquare Website - https://location.foursquare.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/Foursquare Gary Little (CEO) LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-little-0670ba4 Twitter - https://twitter.com/garylittlefsq 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

(01:10) Brief history of Foursquare

(03:07) What makes Foursquare's location data unique?

(05:17) Foursquare Platform. What is it?

(08:07) A glimpse into the future of Foursquare

(10:00) More customers want to process the data themselves. Why?

(13:42) Data privacy of today vs 10 years ago. What has changed?

(16:41) Foursquare Graph: what does it do?

(19:17) How is Foursquare utilizing AI?

(22:17) How will AR/VR influence location intelligence?

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of AI art with Cris Valenzuela, CEO of Runway. Runway is a generative AI startup that co-invented Stable Diffusion, the deep learning technology that has captured the attention of the creative industry, including luminaries such as ASAP Rocky and Madonna's teams, by pushing the boundaries of digital creativity.

We explore how generative AI tools empower visual artists to unleash their imaginations without the need for Hollywood-size budgets. We also discuss the effect of AI on the entire creative industry, similar to how the camera changed things back in the day.

Join us for a glimpse into the future of creativity.

RUNWAY

Website - https://runwayml.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/runwayml

Cris Valenzuela (Co-founder & CEO)

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cvalenzuelab

Twitter - https://twitter.com/c_valenzuelab

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

Foursquare

Website - https://location.foursquare.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Foursquare

(00:00) Intro

(00:55) What is Runway?

(03:09) Runway started before the GenAI boom. How?

(04:41) What do people get wrong about GenAI?

(07:18) How AI is going to change creative software?

(08:44) What is Gen-2?

(12:02) Runway's role in creating Stable Diffusion

(14:25) Gen-1: a model or a product?

(15:11) Runway's evolution from image generation to video

(18:18) Runway partnered with Getty. Why?

(19:52) How has the AI video generation ecosystem evolved?

(21:58) Adoption cyсle for AI video generation. Where are we now?

(24:45) Challenges of building a research-focused company

(26:25) How to build and maintain a soul in a startup?

(28:27) "It's like an invention of new art form" -

Join us in this exciting episode as we dive into the world of enterprise AI with Florian Douetteau, co-founder and CEO of Dataiku, the leading enterprise AI platform targeting Global 2000 companies.

Since its founding in 2013, Dataiku has been at the forefront of democratizing AI in the enterprise. We'll explore the current state of deployment of AI in businesses around the world, dive deep into the differences between generative AI and traditional AI, explore emerging Generative AI uses cases in the enterprise, and get a sneak peek into Dataiku's latest breakthrough, the LLM Mesh, aimed at simplifying the use of multiple Generative AI models for companies. We'll also tackle the big challenges companies face when adopting AI, from managing costs to dealing with the uncertainties of Generative AI.

This episode was recorded live at a recent Data Driven NYC, the monthly in-person event organized by FirstMark since 2011, hosted this month by our partners at Foursquare, the location intelligence company, at their beautiful headquarters.

Dataiku

Website - https://www.dataiku.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/dataiku

Florian Douetteau

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fdouetteau

Twitter - https://twitter.com/fdouetteau

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

Foursquare

Website - https://location.foursquare.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Foursquare

(00:00) Intro

(01:09) What is Dataiku?

(02:03) Is the market ready for AI?

(04:33) Traditional AI vs Generative AI

(08:33) What a company should know before diving into Generative AI?

(10:18) Cost of Generative AI adoption

(12:10) What blocks the AI adoption?

(14:31) Dataiku product tour

(16:34) How to build one product for different audiences

(17:45) LLM Mesh: what is it?

(21:10) Evolution of platform building with Gen AI

(22:17) Enterprise AI motion in 2024

(23:28) Dataiku's partnerships

(24:24) Being platform-first as a startup

In this episode, we sit down with Bob Moore, the CEO of Crossbeam, who turned a $2.6 billion mistake into a masterclass on Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG). Fresh off publishing his new book, Bob shares why ELG is the future of business growth, challenging traditional strategies with data-driven insights and partnerships.

Bob reveals how Crossbeam can help companies of any size leverage ELG to achieve remarkable growth. He dives into the role of data in ELG, the impact of AI on marketing, and practical steps for implementing ELG in your own company.

From discussing the "slow heat death" of traditional growth strategies to unveiling the potential of data-driven partnerships, this episode is packed with eye-opening revelations. Bob also tackles the practical steps companies can take to implement ELG, making this a must-watch for CEOs, leaders, and entrepreneurs aiming to catapult their businesses into a new era of growth.

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Ecosystem-Led-Growth-Blueprint-Marketing-Partnerships/dp/1394226837

Crossbeam

Website - https://www.crossbeam.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/crossbeam

Bob Moore

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjmoore/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/robertjmoore

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 (00:43) Bob recently wrote a book. Why did he do that as a CEO? (03:20) Bob's $2.6 billion mistake (12:15) What is ELG? (17:30) How does Crossbeam work? (20:51) Why do we need another type of go-to-market motion? (25:00) AI is killing inbound/outbound marketing (31:50) Applying ELG to your company (36:13) When should you do ELG and partnerships? (43:34) Outro