Alexa's Input (AI)

On this episode of Alexa’s Input (AI), we’re diving deep into the world of distributed databases with Patrick McFadin , Principal Technical Strategist at DataStax and a leading voice in the Apache Cassandra community. Patrick shares his journey into tech and how he became one of the foremost experts on Cassandra—an open-source, highly scalable NoSQL database that powers mission-critical applicatio...

Amin Abou-Gallala , a data engineering expert at IBM and the mind behind Data Is Everything blog, joins as guest for this episode and dives into the world of data engineering, AI-powered automation, IBM watsonx, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). Amin shares his insights on the future of AI-driven data processing, the role of agentic AI in enterprise applications, and how companies can leve...

Security isn't an afterthought-it's the foundation of modern infrastructure. In this episode, Dan Walsh , Senior Distinguished Engineer at Red Hat, dives deep into the critical role of SELinux in container security and how it thwarts real-world vulnerabilities. We also explore Dan's latest project, Ramalama, which is bridging the gap between Al models and container technology, making Al enterprise...

Containers rule the modern tech world—and in this episode, we’re unpacking their evolution with Daniel Walsh , Senior Distinguished Engineer at Red Hat and the engineer behind tools like Podman, Builda, CRI-O, Ramalama, and SELinux. From replacing Docker to redefining Kubernetes workflows, Daniel shares his incredible story, the origins of these tools, and how open source innovation fuels everythi...

In this episode of Alexa's Input (AI) , we’re diving into the intersection of artificial intelligence and law with Joshua Cantrell, a seasoned attorney from Griffith Law in Nashville, Tennessee. Joshua shares insights from his new book, which explores how AI is reshaping the legal profession, from improving efficiency to tackling ethical and regulatory challenges. Join us as we discuss practical a...

Devansh, the writer behind the popular Substack Artificial Intelligence Made Simple (@c hocolatemilkcultleader) , joins on this episode for an in-depth discussion on the pressing issues in AI ethics. Devansh talks about his experiences advocating for safer social platforms, his controversial takes on 'morally aligned' LLMs, and the underlying ethical issues in tech that often go unnoticed. An insi...

Join us on this episode as we explore the forefront of cloud-native application development with Kendall Roden , Product Manager at Diagrid . Kendall discusses career trajectory from Microsoft to becoming a key player in product management working on Dapr at Diagrid, where she works on simplifying the creation of resilient, microservice-oriented applications. We discuss her involvement with Kubern...

Join us on this episode as we delve into the sustainable tech landscape with Nicole Granath , co-founder and COO of Tangible . Nicole shares her unique journey from finance, working in a hedge fund and in Shanghai, to founding a startup focused on reducing the construction industry's carbon footprint. Dive into our conversation about her transition into tech, the challenges of embodied carbon...

Join us on this episode as we explore the forefront of technology with Thomas Vitale , software architect at Systematic , CNCF ambassador, author of 'Cloud Native Spring in Action', and blogger. Thomas shares his journey from a computer engineering student in Turin to a leading figure in the tech community. Dive into our discussion on the evolution of cloud-native applications, the impact...

This episode is joined by Max Bennett , entrepreneur and author at the intersection of AI and neuroscience, to unravel the complexities behind artificial intelligence and human cognition. Max recounts his evolution from a career in finance to innovations in AI, and his path from conceptual frameworks to the creation of Alby , the AI shopping assistant that's redefining consumer experiences. He...

In this episode, we welcome Mike Hamrah , CTO of Flowcode , to discuss the transformative role of QR technology in connecting fans and brands. Mike shares his journey from the dot-com bubble's challenges to leading innovation at Flowcode. He offers insights into the rise of QR codes, the nuances of building a strong engineering culture, and the importance of company values in team dynamics. Jo...

In this insightful podcast episode, join prominent tech education figure and software engineer/site reliability engineer ⁠Ivan Velichko⁠ as he delves into the creation of his innovative learning platform, ⁠iximiuz labs⁠ . We discuss the platform's structured learning path, emphasizing the importance of fundamentals and practical applications, the significance of hands-on experience and the lim...

Mauricio (Salaboy) Salatino is a Senior Software Engineer II at ⁠Diagrid⁠ , author of ⁠Platform Engineering on Kubernetes⁠ , blogger, and involved in multiple open source projects like ⁠Knative⁠ , ⁠Dapr⁠ , ⁠vcluster⁠ , and ⁠Crossplane⁠ . In part one of this podcast, Mauricio and I discuss all things platform engineering - tooling around multicloud infrastructure, the complexities and challenges fo...

Mauricio (Salaboy) Salatino is a Senior Software Engineer II at Diagrid , author of Platform Engineering on Kubernetes , blogger, and involved in multiple open source projects like Knative , Dapr , vcluster , and Crossplane . In part one of this podcast, Mauricio and I discuss all things platform engineering - how he came about writing a book, the state of platform engineering today, continuous de...

Alex Saroyan⁠ , CEO and Co-Founder of ⁠Netris⁠ , joins me in this episode (part 2) to continue our discussion on a host of networking topics - programmable network services, firewalls, smart NICs, networking in hybrid cloud, the evolution of networking and much more!  You can find Alex on Twitter: @alex_saroyan You can support this podcast on the ⁠anchor page⁠ . Make sure to subscribe and follow ⁠...

Alex Saroyan , CEO and Co-Founder of Netris , joins me in this episode to discuss a host of networking topics - how he got into networking, how Netris was founded, what is networking, how public cloud changed networking and how it differs from on premise infrastructure, various networking topics, and much more!  You can support this podcast on the anchor page . Make sure to subscribe and foll...

Josh Bottum , Product Manager for the Kubeflow community, joins me in this episode to discuss all things Kubeflow related - how the project got started, what problems Kubeflow solves, supported features, how Kubeflow differentiates itself from other products, the future of the project, open source experiences and learnings, and much more! You can support this podcast on the anchor page . Make sure...

Evan Anderson , Senior Staff Engineer at VMWare , joins me on part 2 of this episode to discuss Istio 's role in Knative, Knative's goals, features, requirements and dependencies, provisioning resources in a serverless world, the future of serverless, removing barriers for developers and much more!  Evan graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College. He worked at Google f...

Evan Anderson , Senior Staff Engineer at VMWare , joins me on this episode to discuss the meaning of "serverless", his work experience at Google, the development of projects like Kubernetes and Knative, his thoughts around the cloud, managing an open-source project, and much more!  Evan graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College. He worked at Google for 15 years and le...

Danica Fine , Senior Developer Advocate at Confluent , joins this episode to talk about how Confluent provides tools for creating a streaming data platform. We discuss what Confluent is and the problems it solves, Confluent Cloud, Kafka , some interesting use cases and much more!  Danica graduated with a B.A. in Logic, Information, and Computation and a Masters of Science in Engineering in Sc...

In this episode, Donna Hutchinson, Senior Software Engineer at CircleCI , joins me to discuss her path into tech as someone with a nontraditional background, her experiences with workspace environments and how to make sure that you are in a space where you are supported and can grow, how being a woman has affected her career as a software engineer, and much more!  Donna graduated from Queen's...

Daniel Berlind , co-founder/CEO of Snappt Inc and President of Berlind Properties, joins me on this episode to discuss his experience founding his first tech startup. We talk about what he learned from being a professional baseball player, cofounder relationships, success that comes through failure, experiencing two accelerators, when to pivot your business and find product-market fit, pitching to...

Anna Rosenthal, Software Engineer at Github , joins me in this episode to talk about leaving a company. We discuss a variety of topics including work relationships, when to leave, reasons for/against leaving, learning and pay, interviewing, recruiters, rejections, offers, and much more!  Anna's links: Twitter and Substack You can support this podcast on the anchor page . Make sure to subscrib...

Mahmoud Arram , co-founder and CTO of Bluecore , joins me on this episode to discuss the importance of having a co-founder you trust, his previous startup ideas and side projects, how he got into e-commerce and the idea for Bluecore developed, the process of pitching their idea and going through Techstars, how his role has changed throughout time, scaling while maintaining innovation, and much mor...

Tameem Iftikhar joins me on this talks with founders episode to discuss his career path, his experiences working in early-stage startups and being a co-founder, the tech stars program, and much more! While Tameem was getting his degree from the University of Toronto, he participated in a co-op at IBM and worked for the startup Nightly.to. After graduating he worked for SurfEasy and then Symantec a...