In this episode, host Yoni Leitersdorf talks with Joel Hron, CTO of Thomson Reuters, about what it really takes to build trustworthy AI for some of the world’s most demanding professionals. Joel shares lessons from launching seven AI products in 18 months, including legal research and contract drafting tools used by lawyers and tax experts worldwide. From evolving eval systems to balancing speed, precision, and human oversight, Joel reveals how Thomson Reuters is redefining knowledge work in the age of AI.
Venture capitalist and builder Tomasz Tunguz joins Yoni to share how hands-on experiments with AI are shaping his view of the future. From failed email agents to breakthroughs in tool orchestration, Tomasz explains what worked, what didn’t, and why the next generation of builders will need to master delegation to machines. It’s a rare look inside how one of the most thoughtful minds in tech is using and rethinking AI in real time.
In this episode, host Yoni Leitersdorf talks with Ilan Frank, Chief Product Officer at Checkr and former product leader at Slack and Airtable, about what it really takes to build AI that works in the real world. Ilan shares lessons from launching early AI features at Airtable, the importance of chasing pain before innovation, and how Checkr is using AI to make background checks faster, more accurate, and more human.
Meenal Iyer, VP of Data at SurveyMonkey and one of the top 100 AI influencers of 2025, joins Yoni to share how she turned experimentation into execution. From using ChatGPT to jump-start her own learning to leading company-wide AI hackathons, Meenal reveals how her team is building trust, driving effectiveness, and redefining what it means to build with AI—one workflow at a time.
Miles Garvey joins Yoni to discuss what it really takes to get data teams ready for AI. From bottom-up model building to federated team structures, Miles unpacks the promise and pitfalls of semantic layers, why skipping the groundwork leads to disaster, and how businesses can evolve their data culture to thrive in an AI-first world.
In this episode, host Yoni Leitersdorf talks with Benn Stancil, co-founder of Mode and prolific writer on data and technology, about how AI is reshaping the way we think about analytics. From the hype and heartbreak of semantic layers to the deeper question of whether we can ever fully trust machine-driven decisions, Benn shares insights that push the conversation beyond BI and into the future of what “real” even means.
Zack Martin went from Best Buy’s supply chain to building one of the most vibrant new communities in analytics: Data GOATs. In this episode, Zack and Yoni talk about what worked (memes, events, authenticity), what didn’t (AI-written posts), and why curiosity and adaptability are the best skills for thriving in data, analytics, and beyond.
