In this episode, David sits down with Nishant Raman, a seasoned data infrastructure expert, to explore the evolving world of data engineering, AI integration, and building scalable systems from the ground up. With experience across logistics, healthcare, and fintech, Nishant shares hard-won insights from years of building resilient, cost-conscious infrastructure that scales with company growth and technical complexity.

From choosing the right database to navigating the post-LLM explosion in tooling, this conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to thrive as the first data hire and beyond.

Join us as we discuss:

• Nishant’s accidental path into data engineering and lessons from startup life
• The tradeoffs that can come with building scalable, cost-efficient data systems
• The growing role of AI in data infrastructure and what’s coming next for data teams