Learning from Machine Learning

• Lukas Biewald | You think you're late, but you're early | Learning from Machine Learning #13

  On this episode of Learning from Machine Learning, I had the privilege of speaking with Lukas Biewald, co-founder and CEO of Weights & Biases. We traced his journey from programming games as a kid to building one of the most essential tools in AI development today. Lukas's career demonstrates that conviction often matters more than consensus—from surviving the AI winter in the mid-2000s when he was coached to remove "AI" from investor pitches, to the AlphaGo moment that changed everything and led him to take an unpaid internship at OpenAI in his thirties.Lukas's philosophy on "automating the automation" reveals why AI developers have become the most powerful people within organizations—they're a smaller market but wield disproportionate influence. He shares his view that "if you zoom out, AI is so underhyped, you can't hype it enough." The recursive potential of machines improving machines is barely understood, yet it represents "the most powerful technology you could possibly build."Most importantly, Lukas's philosophy that "feedback loops are your units of work" transforms how we approach both machine learning and life. He explains the necessity to stay technical as a leader: "If you're going to work for me, you better be able to do the IC job. And I do not know how companies function without that mindset." His advice to his younger self cuts through common doubts in emerging technologies: "you think you're late, but you're early." In a world racing towards progress at all costs, this reminder couldn't be more relevant.Thank you for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share with a friend or colleague. Until next time... keep on learning.Available on all podcast platforms:https://rss.com/podcasts/learning-from-machine-learning/Available on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@learningfrommachinelearningAvailable on Substack:https://mindfulmachines.substack.com/---Chapters00:00 Open00:46 Early Fascination with AI03:57 Founding CrowdFlower During AI Winter09:22 The AlphaGo Awakening16:02 Birth of Weights & Biases23:50 The LLM Revolution's Impact29:12 CoreWeave Acquisition & Future Vision32:56 The Entrepreneurship Philosophy37:29 Technical Leadership Philosophy49:01 The Future of Software Development53:07 Leadership Lessons & Career Advice1:00:38 Life Lessons from Machine Learning1:01:46 Closing Thoughts & Gratitude---ReferencesGödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden BraidGenius MakersWeights & BiasesCrowdFlower/Figure 8 (now part of Appen)OpenAICoreWeaveScale AIGitHubGoogleStanford UniversityY CombinatorDaphne Koller - Stanford Professor, Co-founder of CourseraLee Sedol - Professional Go player defeated by AlphaGo---A machine learning podcast that explores more than just algorithms and data: Life lessons from the experts. Welcome to "Learning from Machine Learning," a podcast about the insights gained from a career in the field of Machine Learning and Data Science. In each episode, industry experts, entrepreneurs and practitioners will share their experiences and advice on what it takes to succeed in this rapidly-evolving field.

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• Maxime Labonne: Designing beyond Transformers | Learning from Machine Learning #12

  On this episode of Learning from Machine Learning, I had the privilege of speaking with Maxime Labonne, Head of Post-Training at Liquid AI. We traced his journey from cybersecurity to the cutting edge of model architecture. Maxime shared how the future of AI isn't just about making models bigger—it's about making them smarter and more efficient.Maxime's work demonstrates that challenging established paradigms requires taking steps backward to leap forward. His framework for data quality—accuracy, diversity, and complexity—offers a blueprint for anyone working with machine learning systems.Most importantly, Maxime's perspective on learning itself—treating knowledge acquisition like training data exposure—reminds us that growth comes from diverse, high-quality experiences across different contexts. Whether you're training a model or developing yourself, the principles remain remarkably similar.Thank you for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share with a friend or colleague. Until next time... keep on learning.00:46 Introduction and Maxime's Background01:47 Journey from Cybersecurity to Machine Learning03:30 The Fascination with AI and Cyber Attacks06:15 Transitioning to Post-Training at Liquid AI08:17 Liquid AI's Vision and Mission10:08 Challenges of Deploying AI on Edge Devices13:06 Techniques for Efficient Edge Model Training15:44 The State of AI Hype and Reality19:19 Evaluating AI Models and Benchmarks24:09 Future of AI Architectures Beyond Transformers31:05 Innovations in Model Architecture36:28 The Importance of Iteration in AI Development39:24 Understanding State Space Models42:53 Advice for Aspiring Machine Learning Professionals48:53 The Quest for Quality Data52:56 Integrating User Feedback into AI Systems58:13 Lessons from Machine Learning for Life

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• Aman Khan: Arize, Evaluating AI, Designing for Non-Determinism | Learning from Machine Learning #11

  On this episode of Learning from Machine Learning, I had the privilege of speaking with Aman Khan, Head of Product at Arize AI. Aman shared how evaluating AI systems isn't just a step in the process—it's a machine learning challenge in of itself. Drawing powerful analogies between mechanical engineering and AI, he explained, "Instead of tolerances in manufacturing, you're designing for non-determinism," reminding us that complexity often breeds opportunity. Aman's journey from self-driving cars to ML evaluation tools highlights the critical importance of robust systems that can handle failure. He encourages teams to clearly define outcomes, break down complex systems, and build evaluations into every step of the development pipeline. Most importantly, Aman's insights remind us that machine learning—much like life—is less deterministic and more probabilistic, encouraging us to question how we deal with the uncertainty in our own lives. Thank you for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share with a friend or colleague . Until next time... keep on learning.

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• Leland McInnes: UMAP, HDBSCAN & the Geometry of Data | Learning from Machine Learning #10

  In this episode of Learning from Machine Learning, we explore the intersection of pure mathematics and modern data science with Leland McInnes, the mind behind an ecosystem of tools for unsupervised learning including UMAP, HDBSCAN, PyNN Descent and DataMapPlot. As a researcher at the Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing, Leland has fundamentally shaped how we approach and understand complex data.Leland views data through a unique geometric lens, drawing from his background in algebraic topology to uncover hidden patterns and relationships within complex datasets. This perspective led to the creation of UMAP, a breakthrough in dimensionality reduction that preserves both local and global data structure to allow for incredible visualizations and clustering. Similarly, his clustering algorithm HDBSCAN tackles the messy reality of real-world data, handling varying densities and noise with remarkable effectiveness.But perhaps what's most striking about Leland isn't just his technical achievements – it's his philosophy toward algorithm development. He champions the concept of "decomposing black box algorithms," advocating for transparency and understanding over blind implementation. By breaking down complex algorithms into their fundamental components, Leland argues, we gain the power to adapt and innovate rather than simply consume.For those entering the field, Leland offers poignant advice: resist the urge to chase the hype. Instead, find your unique angle, even if it seems unconventional. His own journey – applying concepts from algebraic topology and fuzzy simplicial sets to data science – demonstrates how breakthrough innovations often emerge from unexpected connections.Throughout our conversation, Leland's passion for knowledge and commitment to understanding shine through. His approach reminds us that the most powerful advances in data science often come not from following the crowd, but from diving deep into fundamentals and drawing connections across disciplines.There's immense value in understanding the tools you use, questioning established approaches, and bringing your unique perspective to the field. As Leland shows us, sometimes the most significant breakthroughs come from seeing familiar problems through a new lens.Resources for Leland McInnesLeland’s GithubUMAPHDBSCANPyNN DescentDataMapPlotEVoCReferencesMaarten GrootendorstLearning from Machine Learning Episode 1Vincent Warmerdam - CalmcodeLearning from Machine Learning Episode 2Matt RocklinEmily Riehl - Category Theory in ContextLorena BarbaDavid Spivak - Fuzzy Simplicial SetsImproving Mapper’s Robustness by Varying Resolution According to Lens-Space DensityLearning from Machine LearningYoutubehttps://mindfulmachines.substack.com/

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• Chris Van Pelt: Machine Learning Tooling, Weights and Biases, Entrepreneurship | Learning from Machine Learning #9

  In this episode, we are joined by Chris Van Pelt, co-founder of Weights & Biases and Figure Eight/CrowdFlower. Chris has played a pivotal role in the development of MLOps platforms and has dedicated the last two decades to refining ML workflows and making machine learning more accessible.Throughout the conversation, Chris provides valuable insights into the current state of the industry. He emphasizes the significance of Weights & Biases as a powerful developer tool, empowering ML engineers to navigate through the complexities of experimentation, data visualization, and model improvement. His candid reflections on the challenges in evaluating ML models and addressing the gap between AI hype and reality offer a profound understanding of the field's intricacies.Drawing from his entrepreneurial experience co-founding two machine learning companies, Chris leaves us with lessons in resilience, innovation, and a deep appreciation for the human dimension within the tech landscape. As a Weights & Biases user for five years, witnessing both the tool and the company's growth, it was a genuine honor to host Chris on the show.References and Resourceshttps://wandb.ai/https://www.youtube.com/c/WeightsBiaseshttps://x.com/weights_biaseshttps://www.linkedin.com/company/wandb/https://twitter.com/vanpeltResources to learn more about Learning from Machine Learninghttps://www.youtube.com/@learningfrommachinelearninghttps://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-from-machine-learninghttps://mindfulmachines.substack.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethplevine/https://medium.com/@levine.seth.p

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