This week, Frank sat down with Dr. Jacob Leverich—Stanford PhD, cofounder of Observe, and a veteran of the Google MapReduce team and Splunk. Jacob’s journey, from tinkering with video game code as a kid, to innovating at the cutting edge of distributed systems and energy efficiency, is as inspiring as it is informative.

• Early Tech Roots: Hear how curiosity with QBasic and classic PCs (think IBM PCXT and Commodore) put Jacob on a path to high-impact data engineering.
• MapReduce, Dremel, & the Rise of Big Data: Jacob pulls back the curtain on working with some of the most influential data processing tools at Google and how these systems shifted the entire data landscape (hello, BigQuery!).
• Building Efficient Systems: It’s not just about scale—energy efficiency and performance optimization are the unsung heroes of today’s data infrastructure. Jacob explains why making things “just work” isn’t enough anymore.
• The Realities of Ops & Observability: Remember the days of grepping logs at 2AM? There’s a better way. Jacob shares how platforms like Observe help teams consolidate, visualize, and act on operational data—turning chaos into actionable insight.
• Bridging Data & Ops: The lines between data observability and traditional ops are blurring, and Jacob’s unique experience shows how best practices from data warehousing are finally making ops smoother (and less sleepless).
• Power Concerns & the Future: As data grows, so does energy consumption in data centers. Find out why optimization isn’t just good for performance—it’s key to sustainability.

00:00 Interview with Jacob Levrich

05:59 Journey into Game Programming

06:43 "Pursuing Fast Video Game Code"

10:23 Data Processing and Power Efficiency

16:11 Snowflake's Transformative Database Approach

19:18 Journey to Data Management Industry

21:37 Data Products: Solving Core Challenges

27:07 Early Web Log Analysis Techniques

28:57 Consolidating Data for Efficiency

33:23 Specialized Tools and Context Switching

35:43 Unique Dual-Expertise in Tech

38:58 User-Centric Business Strategies

42:13 IP Data Analysis in Cloud

47:23 Electricity Transport Upsets Local Farms

48:25 Shift to Parallel Computing

52:10 Hardware Specialization & Software Optimization

57:32 "Stay Data Driven"

Welcome to another insightful episode of Data Driven! Today, we're diving into the world of warehouse-native analytics with our special guest, István Mészáros, cofounder of Mitsu. Join us as we explore how Mitsu empowers startups and enterprises with a new approach to data analytics. From his beginnings as a CERN physicist to becoming an open-source evangelist and finally a startup founder, István shares his unique journey through the data industry.

We'll discuss the motivation behind Mitsu's distinct branding, reminiscent of Hello Kitty, and why standing out in today's crowded market is crucial. István also reveals the challenges and strategies of building a data company in Europe, and how Mitsu simplifies analytics by offering a self-service solution without the high costs associated with existing market leaders.

0:00 Introducing István Mészáros

05:30 Shifting Open Source to SaaS

07:46 Lava-Themed Compliance Solutions Brand

10:27 Tech Branding and Hello Kitty Insights

13:46 Optimizing Conversion in Data-Heavy Travel

16:31 Self-Service Analytics Tool Needed

19:17 Automated Product Analytics Tool

23:20 "Budget Constraints and DIY Solutions"

28:17 Freelancer's Efficient Data Solutions

29:08 Open Source Tool Productization Plan

33:13 Navigating Freelance and Startup Challenges

37:19 Transitioning to Data Engineering

42:25 Instant Feedback in Hobbies

43:46 Embracing Feedback in Business Transformation

49:13 "Hoping AI Takes Over Hiring"

51:58 Visit Site for Info & Contact

55:22 "Parenting Boys with Earbuds"

57:25 "Data Driven: Quantum Podcast Relaunch"

On this episode of Data Driven, we welcome Barr Moses, CEO and co-founder of Monte Carlo, as she delves into the fascinating world of data observability.

Join hosts Frank La Vigne and Andy Leonard as they explore how reliable data is crucial for making sound business decisions in today's tech-driven world. Learn why a simple schema change at Unity resulted in a $100 million loss and how Monte Carlo is developing cutting-edge solutions to prevent similar disasters. From discussions on ensuring data integrity to the intriguing potential of AI in anomaly detection, Barr Moses shares insights that might just redefine your understanding of data's role in business.

Tune in for a podcast that not only uncovers the nuances of data reliability but also touches on the quirky side of tech, like why, according to Google, you should never use superglue to fix slipping cheese on your pizza.

00:00 Monte Carlo: Data Reliability Innovator

05:45 "Data & AI Observability Engineering"

09:42 Data Industry's Growing Importance

12:00 Cereal Supply Chain Data Optimization

16:03 Data Observability and Lineage

19:29 GenAI Uncertainties and Latency Concerns

23:17 "Human Oversight in AI Accuracy"

24:12 Data Observability and Human Role

28:01 Adapting to Customer Language

33:29 Data and Security Management Alignment

35:20 Data Reliability and Observability Challenges

38:17 Automated Code Analysis Tool Launch

42:29 Data-Inspired Childhood

44:12 Passionate About Impactful Work

48:52 LinkedIn Security Concerns Highlighted

53:19 "Data Observability Insights"