The Joe Reis Show

In this episode, I sit down with Mike Driscoll, founder of Rill Data, to discuss the evolving landscape of business intelligence and data engineering. We explore why the industry keeps "rediscovering" old concepts like the semantic layer and how the rise of AI agents is forcing us to rethink how we structure data.
Mike shares his insights on the "shape" of analytics, debating whether conversational interfaces will replace dashboards or simply complement them. We also dig into the growing demand for data engineering, the importance of watermarks and temporal semantics, and why data visualization remains a critical tool for "trust but verify" in an AI world.

Rill Data

Mike’s Podcast: Data Talks on the Rocks

As I use AI, I'm finding that I create MORE work for myself, not less. One task completed means five more to do. This is the paradox of today - AI might actually mean more work, not less.

I talk about this, the Data Day Texas final episode, and more.

Check out the review I did of Cube's new analytics agent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3frGJOUl1E
(Thanks to Cube for partnering on the review)

Lak Lakshmanan had a successful career in Private Equity and Big Tech, but he realized he couldn't just "coach the game" while the rules were changing. He had to get back on the field play it. We discuss vertical AI, the "foolhardiness" required to start a company , the reality of the AI technology wave, and why sitting on the sidelines is the biggest risk of all.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valliappalakshmanan
Generative AI Design Patterns (book): https://amzn.to/45v0xBO

In this episode, I talk about how I'm kind of living in a bubble of cool tech and AI, and how the 99% of businesses out there are still grappling with the same old data and tech problems they've always dealt with.
I also talk about how me and my friends are using AI to automate the boring stuff and scratch our own itches.

In this episode, I sit down with science fiction author, activist, and journalist Cory Doctorow to unpack his viral concept of Enshitification, the three-act tragedy of platform decay:
1. be good to users
2. lock them in
3. extract value from users to feed advertisers and shareholders
We also dive into:
- The AI bubble: Cory’s case that parts of the sector are propped up by aggressive accounting and incentives, not durable value.
- The “Reverse Centaur”: How workers (from Amazon drivers to radiologists) are being reorganized to serve machine workflows, rather than machines serving humans.
- Software engineering vs. “vibe coding”: Why autocomplete isn’t engineering, and why AI can’t replace process knowledge and domain context.
- The Post-American Internet: What happens when the U.S. weaponizes platforms, and the rest of the world builds alternatives.
About Cory Doctorow: Cory is a multi-time international bestselling author, special advisor to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and creator of the blog/newsletter Pluralistic.
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