Making Data Simple

Send us Fan MailThe rapidly evolving world of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) with Manav Gupta, VP & CTO of IBM Canada!  We’re tackling the big questions – is an ‘AGI clock’ ticking? – alongside critical discussions on risk, regulation, and the future of work.  Manav and I pull no punches as we explore the surprising realities of AI’s development and its potential impact on our lives.01:55 The ShipAI Podcast 04:42 AI Battlegrounds07:02 AGI Defined10:52 The 10-min Problem22:43 No Guardrails?!24:16 Risk & Regulation28:11 Something Posit...

Send us Fan MailIn case you missed it....🎧 Episode Description:This week on Making Data Simple, we welcome David Hirschfeld, Founder and CEO of Tekyz. With a background spanning major tech firms and startup trenches, David brings grounded, data-backed insight into what makes or breaks a startup. From tackling the #1 reason startups fail to exploring the value of validation and the real meaning of product-market fit, this episode is a no-fluff masterclass in entrepreneurial strategy. David’s message is clear: "Don’t focus on your pr...

Send us Fan MailEver wonder how your bank transaction really gets processed without a hitch? Barry Baker, Chief Operating Officer of IBM Infrastructure, oversees the world’s most critical systems – including the iconic IBM Z. Barry has spent over 25 years building mission critical technology. We’ll dive into everything from mainframe modernization and AI acceleration to the future of cloud and enterprise-grade solutions!01:35 Meet Barry Baker03:42 Biggest Infrastructure Challenge04:59 True Mainframe Modernization14:03 Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste18:33 The Move to Cloud22:43 AI in Infra25:40 IBM Spire28:05 Successful AI Clients33:53 Experimenting on the Mainfr...

Send us Fan MailWhat separates the leaders who scale from the ones who stall? According to Dave Martin — CEO, tech entrepreneur, investor, and coach to elite executives worldwide — it's not IQ, it's not hustle, and it's definitely not the framework on your whiteboard.It's how they think.In this episode, Al sits down with Dave to unpack Mega Thinking — his simple, powerful process for making better leadership decisions under pressure. Dave has coached CEOs from Silicon Valley to boardrooms worldwide, and the patterns he's identified in top performers are both counte...

Send us Fan MailLast week we brought back Part 1 of our Ruchir Puri masterclass. This is the episode that completes it.If Part 1 was about how AI works — agentic loops, inference scaling, the death of prompt engineering — Part 2 is about where AI is going. Ruchir takes on the biggest questions in the industry: Is Jensen Huang right that AGI arrives by 2029? What does IBM's bet on open models actually mean for the enterprise? And what does it take to build AI with not just intelligence, but reasoning and judgment?Hi...

Send us Fan MailToday we're joined by Kareem Yusuf, SVP at IBM, where he leads Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships. His career journey spans IoT, sustainability, and product growth — and it's more diverse than you might expect. In this episode, we dig into the critical thinking behind building successful partnerships, navigating complex tech ecosystems, and what it really takes to prioritize when everything feels urgent.00:00 Introduction01:15 Meet Kareem Yusuf03:44 Best Job Ever08:03 Career Path13:31 The Ecosystem18:20 The Partner "X" Factor21:05 Prioritization23:18 The Ecosystem Dilemma26:17 IBM Differentiation30:13 Modernizing the Ma...

Send us Fan MailPart2: Craig McLuckie, Founder and CEO of Stacklok and inventor ofKubernetes, discusses his latest venture: Stacklok, an Enterprise MCPPlatform that makes developers and AI agents more productive.00:12 The 2-min Stacklok Pitch01:47 An Enterprise-grade MCP Platform06:28 The Case for Smaller Models07:09 Are Clients Ready?11:36 The Winners and Losers14:20 Stacklok's Major Competitor17:48 Craig's Objectives18:56 Open-source and the Red Hat Machine22:22 The Father of Kubernetes24:22 AI Ethics26:10 For FunLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigmcluckie/Website: http://stacklok.comWant to be featured as a guest...

Send us Fan MailCraig McLuckie is the Founder and CEO of Stacklok and one of the original inventors of Kubernetes — the open-source container orchestration system that became the backbone of modern cloud infrastructure. After leading Kubernetes into the CNCF and navigating VMware's pivot under Broadcom, Craig made a sharp turn and founded Stacklok: an Enterprise MCP Platform designed to make developers and AI agents dramatically more productive in secure, enterprise environments.In this episode, Craig and Al Martin explore what it means to build again after building something that changed the industry — and what the...

Send us Fan MailFirst Aired Apr 23, 2025If you've been following the AI space lately, this episode hits differently the second time around.When Al sat down with Ruchir Puri — Chief Scientist of IBM Research, IBM Fellow, and the architect behind Watson and watsonx — the conversation covered ground that's only gotten more relevant since: the death of prompt engineering, the rise of agentic AI, and why 2025 was always going to be the year agents broke through in the enterprise.Ruchir doesn't deal in hype. He deals in syst...

Send us Fan MailMaking Data Simple dives into the exciting world of synthetic data with Adam Kamor, Co-Founder & Head of Engineering at Tonic.ai — a company building a synthetic data platform to power AI and software development. Adam unpacks how synthetic data is revolutionizing the way we build smarter, safer AI systems.01:31 Meet Adam Kamor 08:43 The Road to Software Engineering 11:10 Defining Synthetic Data 13:46 The Need for Synthetic Data 15:17 Synthetic Data with AI 17:59 Tonic.ai 18:57 Pros & Cons of Synthetic Data 25:40 To...

Send us Fan MailMaking Data Simple dives into the world of data security with Josh Scott, CISO and VP of Security at Hydrolix — a real-time data platform built for massive scale. Josh unpacks critical challenges like AI adoption, cybersecurity priorities, and how organizations can harness data to stay ahead, all while keeping performance high and costs down.01:02 Investing 04:25 Meet Josh Scott 10:54 Adopting AI Safely 14:42 What IS a CISO? 17:14 What Keeps a CISO Up at Night? 19:11 Using AI for Security 20:47 Two Phon...

Send us Fan MailTom Griffiths, Henry R. Luce Professor at Princeton University, joins the show to explore the surprising science behind how we actually think. His new book, The Laws of Thought, bridges computational cognitive science and AI—challenging assumptions about decision-making, neural networks, and the path to artificial general intelligence.Show NotesTimestamps 01:21 – Meet Tom Griffiths 05:27 – Tom's Book 06:58 – A Neural Network 09:55 – AGI? 19:10 – Writing the Book 20:45 – The Laws of Thought 27:24 – The Neural Network Surprise 31:33 – Learning from Experts 35:19 – Decision Making vs. Probability 42:36 – Government AI ConsiderationsLinks LinkedIn: <b...

Send us Fan MailWelcome back to Making Data Simple, where we explore how data-driven strategies ignite innovation and transform businesses. In this exciting episode, we sit down with Marco Rota, VP of Strategic Technology Alliances at Lumen Technologies, whose incredible journey spans from the glitz of Hollywood to leading-edge telecommunications. Tune in as Marco reveals how embracing a vibrant culture, drawing on lessons from the entertainment industry, and championing new technologies can propel teams and organizations to new heights of success. Get ready for an inspiring, behind-the-scenes look at how “cu...

Send us Fan MailTackling the messy reality of data fueling artificial intelligence, Andrea Muttoni—President & CPO at Story—joins the show to unpack how Story is building an AI-native infrastructure for intellectual property and training data. We dig into making the $80T IP asset class programmable, traceable, and monetizable, and how Story aims to turn “mysterious training data blobs” into transparent rights and payments for creators and enterprises.01:10 Meet Andrea Muttoni 06:49 Story's Core Mission 13:41 IP Monetization 21:08 Biggest Competitor 22:49 Compute, Models, & Data 27:46 What to IP, Where Not 31:16 Blockchain 34:54 Protecting Your IP 41:36 Reaching StoryAndrea e...

Send us Fan MailPrasad Calyam, Curators’ Distinguished Professor and Center Director at the University of Missouri, joins the show to explore how knowledge graphs, modern data platforms, and AI are reshaping power grids and cybersecurity. He breaks down graph database fundamentals, real-world research projects, and how industry can tap into cutting-edge university work—all in language that engineers, data folks, and developers can put to use.Timestamps 01:30 Meet Prasad Calyam 02:57 Why Higher Education? 05:22 Data Analytics 06:59 The Modern Power Grid 09:40 Graph DB Fundamentals 12:21 Cybersecurity via Graphs and RAG 13:45 Research Projects 14:38 Industry Leveraging University R...

Send us Fan MailManav Gupta, Vice President & CTO at IBM Canada, returns to the podcast to unpack the fast-changing landscape of artificial intelligence. From keeping a technical edge to navigating the rise of sovereign AI, Manav shares insights on how emerging trends are shaping both industry and society.Timestamps 01:25 – Manav Gupta is back! 02:39 – Maintaining your technical edge 04:38 – Ship AI 05:58 – The state of AI 19:37 – Reason for concern? 30:35 – Does the U.S. lead the race? 41:30 – LLMs or SLMs? 44:22 – Sovereign AI 46:05 – The social impactPrevious episode: How to Choose, Use, and Trust AI Models with Manav...

Send us Fan MailThis was a fantastic 2 part series on how to design intelligent organizations.  Check it out!Part 1 of 2How do we make organizations not just run — but run intelligently?In this episode of Making Data Simple, we welcome Phanish Puranam, Professor of Strategy and Organizational Design at INSEAD, to explore the intersection of AI, organizational science, and intelligent design. From tools and teammates to blockchain and the metaverse, Phanish walks us through the evolving relationship between humans, algorithms, and the systems we bui...

Send us Fan MailWe're joined by Ron Brill, President and Chairman of the Board, and Kris Johnson, Chief Product Officer of Anglepoint, a global leader in software asset management. From their startup origins to tackling massive compliance challenges, we'll dive into the world of SAM, licensing, and what the future holds for optimizing IT assets – a conversation essential for anyone in this space.⏱️ Timestamps:01:38 Meet Ron Brill and Kris Johnson05:32 Deciding on Startup Roles07:32 The Ah-Ha Founding of Anglepoint12:03 Largest Challenges13:03 One Wo...

Send us Fan MailUnpack a groundbreaking application of IBM’s AI technology designed to revolutionize training and learning. This episode delves into how IBM’s AI-powered partner – built around IBM training – can sharpen technical knowledge, boost confidence, and help teams master every interaction, from pipeline development to closing critical deals.02:12 Meet Paul Zikopoulos, Matt Bateson, and Kyle Sava09:17 Best Methods to Learn 17:57 AI and Training 23:05 The Learning Punch Up! 25:42 IBM Clarity, Now watsonx Workshop! 30:40 The Art of the Possible Use Cases 35:42 Favorite Features 41:32 Architecture 45:55 Cost 46:37 Tips of the WeekLinkedIn:Paul's LinkedIn: htt...

Send us Fan MailFresh off a high-profile appearance on CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange discussing how AI will move beyond chatbots to autonomous agents that reshape jobs and productivity! Replay this episode where Jure digs into why structured data is still lagging behind the AI revolution and what comes next for predictive AI on relational data.Data’s everywhere, but so often it feels… stuck. Joining us today is Jure Leskovec, Chief Scientist at Kumo and a Stanford Professor who's fundamentally reshaped how we understand networks—from Pinteres...