The Data Stack Show Newsletter Edition 024

Kostas goes stealth

👋 Hi all,

This month, we share some bittersweet news but not without a silver lining. The founder of our podcast and dear friend Kostas is stepping down as Eric’s podcasting partner in crime.

Kostas is ‘working on something new,’ as they say. He’s now the founder of a stealth mode data infra startup which is demanding quite a bit of his time, as startups do. So, he’s taking a step back from the show. Don’t worry – we won’t let him get too far. He’s already agreed to come back on as guest host from time to time. Plus, we’re itching to get more details on his new endeavor, so once they’re out of stealth, we’ll bring him on to tell us all about it. 

Words can’t express our gratitude for all that Kostas has given to the show over the past three and a half years. Kostas, just know you will be dearly missed. Thanks for showing up week in-week out to share your insight with the data community and help our guests do the same. You’re an amazing host. We’re excited to follow along as you build your new company. 

The silver lining? We’re welcoming John Wessel aboard as co-host, and The Data Stack Show will keep rocking and rolling! Here’s a bit from Kostas and John as we enter a new era.

“This is definitely a bittersweet moment for me, but I'm also so excited about what's next, both for me personally and for the show! We always told our guests that this show is their show, and nothing could be more. I say that because I owe a big thank you to all the folks who joined the show these past 3+ years and spent time answering my very spontaneous questions. I've learned so much from all of you and managed to make connections that I can also call friends. That’s one of the most unexpected and positive outcomes of being a host. To our listeners, I wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t for you. I hope you’ve learned as much as I have over the years. It’s going to be strange shifting from a host to becoming a listener myself, but I’m excited to tune in to learn with Eric and John moving forward.”

– Kostas

“As a former eCommerce CTO and data leader with over 15 years of experience in analytics and engineering, I've witnessed the transformative power of data firsthand. Currently, I serve as the CEO of Agreeable Data, partnering with eCommerce brands to convert their first-party data into sustainable growth and profitability. I'm also passionate about mentoring data professionals to help them take the next step in their careers. It’s an honor to follow Kostas, and I'm thrilled to come on as the new podcast host. I can't wait to dive into the latest trends and strategies in data and AI.”

– John

To hear Kostas pass the torch to John, tune in to our special episode from last week, and check out last month’s shows below if you missed them. 

🌯 The April Wrap

Here’s what you missed (if you missed it) on The Data Stack Show last month:

Kafka Streams and Operationalizing Event-Driven Applications with Aprurva Mehta (Twitter) of Responsive

Why you should listen – Because Apurva’s excitement about the possibilities opened up by event driven applications is contagious. You’ll learn some event-driven fundamentals, hear some war stories about Kafka, and learn how Responsive is making it much easier to build event-driven applications. 

🎧  Listen / Tweet

The Evolution of Data Processing, Data Formats, and Data Sharing with Ryan Blue of Tabular

Why you should listen – To get up to speed on the latest innovations in data storage. Ryan covers fundamentals in a great discussion on file formats, articulates the challenges of processing data at scale, and shares the latest on Apache Iceberg. 

🎧  Listen / Tweet

Data Council Week / One Week. Three Shows!

• How To Do Self-Service Data Analytics and Business Intelligence Right with Ryan Dolley (Twitter) of GoodData 🎧  Listen / Tweet

• AI Isn’t Just Hype – How To Successfully Apply LLMs Today with Tristan Zajonc (Twitter) of Continual 🎧  Listen / Tweet

• A Decade of Supporting the Data Community with Pete Soderling (Twitter) of Data Council 🎧  Listen / Tweet

Open Source and the Evolution of Data Systems with Andrew Lamb (Twitter) of InfluxData 

Why you should listen – For insights on the future of databases from a seasoned vet and brilliant builder. Andrew covers the challenges of time series and how InfluxDB handles them. He answers the “why do we need specialized databases question,” and he goes deep on Apache Data Fusion.

🎧  Listen / Tweet

🔗 Saved to Pocket

• Enter the Matrix: A practical guide to exactly-once semantics in Kafka Streams – This dense guide from the Responsive team gives you everything you need to know to take advantage of exactly once semantics.

• Apache X Table – X Table makes it possible to seamlessly interoperate cross-table between Apache Hudi, Delta Lake, and Apache Iceberg. Check out the site to learn more.

• Announcing Apache Arrow DataFusion is now Apache DataFusion – Data Fusion is now a top level Apache project. Check out the announcement to find out why now and what’s next. 

🗓 Upcoming Events

Join once and future guests of The Data Stack Show at these upcoming events:

• 5/15 | Hex | From Reactive to Proactive: ClickUp Operationalizes Churn Predictions

• 5/15 | RudderStack | RudderLab: From Zero to Identity Resolution in 90 Minutes (London)

• 6/3-6 | Snowflake | Data Cloud Summit 24 (SF)

• 6/10-13 | databricks | Data+AI Summit (SF)

Thanks for reading! If it was worth your time, please share the newsletter with your friends, and subscribe if you haven’t yet. Oh, and we’d love to hear from you. Comment below if you have any feedback for us or just want to connect. ✌ See ya next month.

- Brooks & The Data Stack Show Team