In this episode, Chris Real0day interviews Alan Braithwaite, Co-Founder and CTO of RunReveal. They discuss Alan's journey from hacker to entrepreneur, his literary influences, the philosophical foundations of his work in cybersecurity, and the importance of curiosity and learning in the hacker mindset. Alan shares insights from his early experiences with gaming, his education, and his career at Cloudflare and Segment, highlighting the lessons learned along the way. The conversation culminates in a discussion about building RunReveal and understanding customer needs in the cybersecurity landscape. In this conversation, Alan discusses the importance of customer feedback in product development, emphasizing the value of engaging with paying customers. He shares insights on building a user-friendly product, the significance of data management and security, and the introduction of streaming detections. Alan also outlines his vision for a flexible security pipeline and strategies for customer acquisition. The discussion touches on the challenges of on-prem solutions, the journey of founding a startup, and the role of community in innovation. Alan highlights the balance between focusing on the big picture and being present in the moment, concluding with recommendations for books and resources that have influenced his journey.