247: Consulting Firms, AI Strategies, and the $100K Question with the Cynical Data Guy

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome back Matt Kelliher-Gibson for another edition of the Cynical Data Guy. The group dives into the latest tech trends, discussing Klarna's AI-first customer support strategy and subsequent reversal, the high costs and limitations of big consulting firms in AI strategy, and the often-overlooked simplicity of data management in successful companies. The group critically examines the current state of AI implementation, data science practices, and corporate technology transformation, highlighting the importance of understanding business needs over technical accuracy. The conversation provides listeners with a humorous yet insightful look into the challenges of integrating new technologies, the role of human expertise, the potential pitfalls of blindly following industry trends, and so much more.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• The Cynical Data Guy Returns (1:11)

• Klarna's AI Shift (2:08)

• Sensational Headlines in Tech (4:31)

• Impact of AI on Jobs (8:19)

• Cost of AI Strategy (10:21)

• Consulting Strategies and Company Differentiation (12:26)

• Brand Recognition in Consulting (14:48)

• Critique of Outsourcing Thought (17:10)

• Future of Consulting with AI (19:37)

• The Fragility of Data Systems (21:32)

• Primitive Data Stacks (24:05)

• Cynical Data Scientist Epitaph (00:26:06)

• Rebranding Data Science (27:40)

• Parting Thoughts and Takeaways (30:14)

The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.

RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.