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681 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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AI Should Solve the Problem, Not Deflect the Customer
6 oktober 2026 · 31 min
Corey Quinn sits down with Pasquale DeMaio, VP of Amazon Connect Customer , to talk about how Agentic AI is reshaping customer service, and why replacing humans isn’t necessarily the goal. They dig into the evolution of Amazon Connect Customer from a cloud-based contact center into an AI-powered customer experience platform, where agentic AI, real-time customer context, voice technology, and deterministic workflows work together to actually solve problems. Lees meer
They also explore where humans still matter most, why poorly chosen metrics can create terrible customer experiences, the importance of guardrails as AI becomes more autonomous, and what happens when AI agents start talking to other AI agents. The future of customer service may be increasingly automated, but the real opportunity is making every interaction feel smarter, faster, and more human.
Show Highlights:
(00:16) Origin Story of Connect
(01:49) From Call Center to Cloud
(04:48) AI First Engagement Vision
(07:04) Agentic Canvas and Workflows
(09:20) When AI vs Humans Matter
(11:20) Guardrails and Fraud Risks
(14:11) Multimodal Live Sync Flights
(16:35) New Voices and Localization
(18:18) Voice Selection and Custom Voices
(20:49) Enterprise Scale and Trust
(23:45) A2A and Open Agent Ecosystem
(25:21) Making Connect Easier to Use
(27:53) Customer Profiles and Personalize
(29:20) Wrap Up and Where to Learn More
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Open Source and the Future of Databases with German Eichberger
24 september 2026 · 24 min
What happens when open source, AI, and decades of database technology collide? Lees meer
Corey Quinn sits down with German Eichberger, Principal AI Engineering Manager at Microsoft, to dig into DocumentDB, why it’s built on PostgreSQL, and the realities of MongoDB compatibility. They explore how Kubernetes and databases have evolved to better support stateful workloads, why MCP servers could give AI agents safer database access, and how AI may dramatically increase the number of databases organizations need to manage.
Show Highlights:
(0:00) Databases in Volatile Environments
(00:12) Welcome and Introductions
(01:20) AI Titles and Pay Signals
(02:53) Why DocumentDB Exists
(05:04) Mongo API on Postgres
(07:15) No Forking Postgres
(08:09) Compatibility and Standards
(12:12) Governance and Roadmap
(15:15) Kubernetes and MCP Agents
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
The Invisible Network Powering AWS with Matt Rehder
10 september 2026 · 37 min
AWS VP of Global Networking Matt Rehder joins Corey Quinn to pull back the curtain on the massive network infrastructure behind AWS. They explore resiliency at scale, AWS’s move toward flatter networks, the advantages of building custom hardware, and why AI is making networking exciting again. Lees meer
Show Highlights:
(01:08) Meet AWS Networking Lead
(02:01) Why AWS Avoids Global Outages
(05:23) RNG Flat Network Explained
(10:08) Overbuild Capacity And Custom Hardware
(17:37) VPC Virtual Network Origins
(19:50) Why TCP Still Wins
(20:38) SRD Inside AWS
(21:54) Opt In SRD Transport
(25:31) Networks As Utilities
(27:24) Learning And Growing Engineers
(29:22) Training Talent In House
(31:27) AI Rekindles Networking
(34:26) Where To Learn Networking
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
AI Can Do the Work, But Should It? with Adam Larsen
27 augustus 2026 · 30 min
On this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn sits down with Adam Larsen, Principal Developer at Aurora Educational Technologies, to explore what technology and AI should actually look like in K-12 education. They discuss using tech to empower teachers rather than replace them, the risks of outsourcing critical thinking to AI, student data privacy, and what happens when schools become dependent on tools that may not be affordable forever. Adam also shares how AWS became his go-to platform for solving complex education data problems, and why sometimes the best technology is simply the one that reliably gets the job done. Lees meer
Show Highlights:
00:00 Critical Thinking Warning
00:15 Meet the Guest
01:07 From Psych to Edtech
02:07 Teachers and Tool Whiplash
07:29 AI as a Teaching Aid
10:07 Process Over Shortcuts
14:29 Tech Misconceptions in Schools
16:38 Privacy and Picking Vendors
21:50 AI Costs and Ecosystem Bets
26:33 Building on AWS and Wrap Up
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
When AI Starts Writing the Pull Requests with Madelyn Olson
25 juni 2026 · 30 min
AI-generated code is no longer just producing low-quality pull requests. According to AWS Principal Engineer and Valkey core maintainer Madelyn Olson, the quality of AI-assisted contributions has improved dramatically in just the last few months. Lees meer
In this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn and Madelyn discuss how AI is changing open source development, the growing burden on maintainers, and how projects like Valkey are using AI to find bugs, improve security, and harden production systems. They also explore Valkey's continued growth, the future of software development, and why experience, operational knowledge, and community still matter in an age where code is becoming cheaper to create.
*Since this episode was recorded without video, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to get creative with AI!
Show Highlights:
(00:00) Open Source Stability Push
(00:32) Reinvent Afterglow Banter
(01:40) AI PRs Get Better
(04:36) Whimsy Versus AI Slop
(06:14) AI Security Hunting Reality
(09:12) Maintainers Adapt to AI
(11:28) Valkey Fork Wins Adoption
(14:43) Fighting the AI Tidal Wave
(23:45) Next Five Years and Roadmap
(27:02) Release Woes and Where to FollowAbout Madelyn:
Madelyn Olson is a co-creator and core maintainer of Valkey, a high-performance key-value datastore, and a Principal Engineer at Amazon Web Services (AWS). She specializes in building secure, highly reliable systems and is passionate about collaborating with open-source communities. In her role at Amazon, Madelyn serves as a Principal Software Development Engineer for Amazon ElastiCache and Amazon MemoryDB, where she focuses on advancing distributed data technologies and contributing to the growth and success of the Valkey project.Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
The Appalachian Cloud Trail: Hiking, Cloud Economics, and Finding Perspective
11 juni 2026 · 33 min
What happens when two cloud economists leave AWS behind and spend six days hiking 60 miles on the Appalachian Trail? Corey Quinn sits down with Caleb Hurd to share stories from the trail, including exploding sleeping pads, heroic shuttle drivers, lost phones, and the unique community that makes long-distance hiking special. Along the way, they draw surprising parallels between backpacking and cloud economics, discussing everything from serverless architecture and cloud cost optimization to the hidden challenges of on-prem infrastructure. It's a conversation about technology, adventure, perspective, and why sometimes the best way to solve complex problems is to step away from them entirely. Lees meer
Show highlights:
(00:00) Why Hiking Hooks You
(00:15) Meet Caleb on the Trail
(01:31) Trail Miles and Ultralight Parallels
(05:24) The Sleeping Pad Blowout
(07:46) Shepherd Saves the Day
(09:43) Trail Community and Cloud Community
(11:07) Post Trail Perspective and Inside Jokes
(15:35) Back to Work On Prem vs Cloud Pain
(25:47) Server-less Spend and Lambda Sprawl
(32:29) Wrap Up Where to Find CalebAbout Caleb:
Caleb Hurd is a Cloud Economist at Duckbill, where he helps enterprises make sense of their cloud spend. Before moving to the cost side of the house, Caleb spent years in the trenches building and operating large-scale cloud environments and leading the engineering teams behind them across companies ranging from healthcare tech to enterprise Saas. He also founded CostOps.cloud, an AWS cost consulting practice, and is a vocal advocate for engineering-led FinOps — arguing that the people closest to the architecture should be the ones driving cost strategy, not spreadsheet jockeys in finance. Caleb holds a degree from Georgia Tech and made an unconventional journey into tech from a background in carpentry, which may explain his preference for building things over just talking about them. He's based in Atlanta.Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebrhurd/
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Coding Agents, Chaos, and the Future of Dev Work with Dexter Horthy
28 mei 2026 · 33 min
In this episode, Corey Quinn sits down with Dexter Horthy, CEO and Co-founder of Human Layer, to unpack what engineers are getting wrong about AI, especially when it comes to coding agents. Lees meer
From the obsession with “just throwing more tokens at the problem” to the reality of building scalable AI workflows, Dexter shares hard-earned insights on how to actually push models to their limits. They dive into the evolution of developer workflows, the rise of AI-powered software factories, and why understanding context and verification matters more than raw model power.
If you’re building with AI or trying to, this episode will challenge how you think about what these systems can (and can’t) do.
Show highlights:
(00:00)Throwing Tokens Too Far
(01:04) Meet Dexter Horthy
(01:52) Personal AI Benchmarks
(04:12) Human Layer Race Condition
(05:59) Rewrites and Tech Debt
(07:19) Software Factories Mindset
(10:20) Verifiable Problems and Token Limits
(13:45) Agents in the Trenches
(18:05) GitHub at Agent Scale
(26:23) Safety Ethics and Closing Thoughts
About Dexter:
Dexter Horthy is the CEO and Co-Founder of HumanLayer, where he helps engineering teams tackle complex problems in large codebases using coding agents. Previously, he worked in DevOps, SRE, and Solutions Engineering at Replicated, and contributed to lunar navigation software at NASA JPL. Outside of work, he’s a fan of tacos and burpees, though not necessarily in that order.
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dexterihorthy/
Website: https://humanlayer.dev
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
The Rise of Autonomous Ops: Inside AWS’s DevOps Agent with David Yanacek
14 mei 2026 · 31 min
In this episode, Corey Quinn sits down with AWS Senior Principal Engineer David Yanacek to explore the next evolution of DevOps. Lees meer
After two decades of building systems to reduce operational pain, David shares how AWS’s new DevOps Agent is pushing automation to a whole new level, autonomously diagnosing incidents, suggesting fixes, and proactively improving systems before engineers even log in.
From pager overload to autonomous remediation, this conversation is a glimpse into a world where software isn’t the bottleneck anymore, operations are evolving into something entirely new.
If you care about DevOps, SRE, platform engineering, or just want fewer 3 a.m. alerts, this episode is for you.
Show highlights:
(00:00) DevOps Meets Agents
(00:13) Welcome and Sponsor Break
(01:29) David Yanacek Backstory
(02:34) DevOps Roots at Amazon
(04:22) DevOps Agent GA Overview
(05:32) LLMs MCP and Any Cloud
(08:32) Guardrails and Safe Changes
(11:47) Beta Results and Consistency
(14:13) Troubleshooting Theory and On Demand
(17:29) Future of DevOps and Closing
About David:
David Yanacek is a Senior Principal Engineer at AWS and a lead advisor on the Agentic AI team. His current work focuses on Kiro, Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, and AWS’s operational agents, where he helps shape the future of intelligent, autonomous systems.
Over a 19+ year career at Amazon and AWS, David has been at the forefront of building services that simplify life for developers and operators. His experience spans serverless, DevOps, and CloudOps, including launching Amazon DynamoDB and AWS IoT Core, and contributing to the direction of cornerstone services like AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, and Amazon CloudWatch.
David also served as the lead publisher for the Amazon Builders’ Library, helping customers apply Amazon’s hard-earned architectural and operational lessons to their own systems.
Outside of engineering, David plays the French horn in a local Seattle ensemble.
Links:
LinkedIn: https:…
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Building the Backbone of AI Agents: Telemetry, Open Source, and the Future of Developer Infrastructure with Brian Douglas
30 april 2026 · 29 min
AI agents are moving fast, but the infrastructure behind them is still catching up. In this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn sits down with Paper Compute CEO Brian “B Dougie” Douglas to explore building telemetry for AI agents, open-source infrastructure, token economics, and what it takes to create developer tooling in the AI era. From local-first observability to agent runtimes and the future of AI workflows, this conversation dives into what’s next for AI-powered development. Lees meer
Show highlights:
(00:00) Open Source Trust Signal
(00:16) Show Intro and Sponsor
(01:07) What Paper Compute Builds
(01:55) Telemetry for Agents Explained
(04:10) Local First Data and Sharing
(06:18) Second Time Founder Story
(09:06) Token Costs and Pricing Psychology
(14:20) Stereos VM and Safer Runtimes
(20:34) Open Source Strategy and Vibe Coding
(24:54) Whats Next and Wrap Up
About Brian:
Brian is the founder of the Paper Compute Company, a distributed systems primitives for AI agents.
Brian previously founded Open Sauced, a company dedicated to increasing knowledge and insights of open-source communities. In 2024, Open Sauced joined the Linux Foundation, further solidifying Brian’s commitment to advancing open-source initiatives. With a passion for open source, Brian has consistently supported and mentored new contributors through Open Sauced, empowering developers to excel in the open-source ecosystem.
Previously, Brian also led Developer Advocacy at GitHub, where he fostered a community of early adopters through content creation showcasing the newest GitHub features. His experience spans across notable companies in the tech industry, including Netlify, where he worked as an advocate. Brian’s dedication to open source extends beyond his professional endeavors. He currently hosts two podcasts Open Source Ready and The Secret Sauce: A podcast focusing on developer insights and experiences.
Through these platforms, Brian continues to share valuable knowledge …
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The Power of Saying No: Growing by Narrowing Your Focus with Corey Quinn
16 april 2026 · 29 min
What happens when you stop trying to serve everyone, and start focusing on the right customers? Lees meer
In this episode, Corey Quinn sits down with Corey Quinn (yes, really) to talk about specialization, scaling service businesses, and the power of saying no. From growing a digital agency from $20M to $200M to escaping founder-led sales, this conversation dives into practical lessons for founders, marketers, and leaders looking to scale with intention.
Show highlights:
(00:00) Specialization Mindset
(00:21) Show Intro and Sponsor
(01:18) Two Corey Quinns
(02:39) Guest Background and Book
(04:41) Scaling a Service Agency
(06:28) Inbound Limits and Outbound Shift
(10:21) Cookie Gifting Breakthrough
(12:12) Making Gifting Work
(19:09) Retention Through Specialization
(25:20) Founder Bottlenecks and Wrap Up
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyquinn/Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Build vs Buy: The Hidden Costs of “Just Building It” with Ahmed Bebars
2 april 2026 · 43 min
Just because you can build it doesn’t mean you should. In this episode, Ahmed Bebars, Principal Engineer at The New York Times, joins Corey Quinn to talk about real-world cloud decisions, Kubernetes complexity, and the constant trade-off between building your own solutions and buying existing ones. From home labs to enterprise architecture, they unpack what actually works, and what engineers often get wrong. Lees meer
Show Highlights:
(00:19) Intro
(01:09) From Imposter Syndrome
(06:34) Honest Community Feedback
(09:29) EKS Versus ECS Debate
(21:32) Home Lab Reality Check
(22:40) Build vs Buy Long Game
(28:04) Focus on Core Business
(34:35) Uptime Tradeoffs and Standards
(39:41) Networking and IPv6 Debate
(41:28) Wrap Up and Where to FindLinks:
Ahmed's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmedbebarsSponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
FinOps, AI, and the Cost of Cloud Chaos with J.R. Storment
19 maart 2026 · 48 min
What happens when cloud economics meets the messy reality of business, AI, and human behavior? Lees meer
Corey and J.R. Storment unpack why cloud cost management is less about math and more about psychology, the real difference between FinOps for AI vs. AI for FinOps, and why automation still struggles with edge cases (despite all the hype). Along the way, they explore multi-cloud complexity, the rise of consumption-based pricing, and how businesses are navigating massive, unpredictable spend across cloud, SaaS, and AI platforms.
If you’ve ever wondered why your cloud bill feels like chaos, or how to actually get value from it, this episode pulls back the curtain.
Show Highlights:
(00:00) FinOps Royalty Reunion(03:06) Origin Stories and Naming FinOps
(06:32) AI for FinOps vs FinOps for AI
(11:05) Automation Hype and Human Psychology
(22:16) Contracts Multi Cloud and Commitments
(24:26) Context Beats Optimization
(26:06) Trust and Billing Clarity
(28:14) Focus Standard Flywheel
(30:11) SaaS Coverage and Conformance
(34:06) Contracts Multi-cloud and Wrap Up
Links:
FinOps: https://www.finops.org/Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Everything Is a Graph (Even Your Dad Jokes) with Roi Lipman
5 maart 2026 · 39 min
In this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, host Corey Quinn sits down with Roi Lipman, CTO and co-founder of Falco DB, to unpack the evolving role of graph databases in a world overflowing with data stores. Roi shares his journey from building RedisGraph at Redis to spinning it out into Falco DB, along with his enduring love of the C programming language (dad jokes included). The conversation explores why graph databases remain niche, but powerful, especially for pathfinding problems like supply chains and access management, how vector search became a feature rather than a standalone database, and what AI-assisted development means for modern engineering. Along the way, they tackle open source sustainability, Rust rewrites, AI-generated pull request chaos, and the looming question of where the next generation of senior engineers will come from. Lees meer
Highlights:
(00:00) C Language
(00:27) Welcome
(01:18) Database Landscape Overview
(03:17) Why Graph Databases Matter
(07:25) AI Built Apps and Data Choices
(10:29) How FalcoDB Fits In
(12:20) Vector Search as a Feature
(16:48) FalcoDB Origin Story
(19:54) Open Source Business and Rust Rewrite
(25:23) Toy Graph Problems and Closing Thoughts
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
AI, Authenticity, and the Future of Podcasting with Chris Hill
19 februari 2026 · 27 min
This week on Screaming in the Cloud, Corey sits down with Chris Hill, CEO of Humble Pod, to talk about the messy, nuanced reality of AI in media. From secretly cloning Corey’s voice for an ad using ElevenLabs (and almost getting away with it) to the growing tension between polished production and authentic content, they unpack what AI can actually do versus what it claims to do. Lees meer
They explore the shifting economics of podcasting, the rise of video-first formats, Netflix’s entrance into the space, and why “good enough” production often beats expensive studio perfection. It’s a candid conversation about trust, automation, creative integrity, and why sometimes the most dangerous AI use case is the one no one notices.
Show Highlights:
(00:00) The AI Voice Clone Ad Nobody Noticed
(00:44) 700 Episodes In: Catching Up with Humble Pod’s Chris Hill
(01:16) New Studio, New Vibes: Building a Podcast Space in Tennessee
(01:51) AI in Podcasting Workflows: Riverside, Editing Promises & Human Judgment
(07:50) Authenticity vs Production Value + Duckbill Hiring & Product Shift
(14:05) Renewals, churn, and why point solutions fail
(14:15) The Doc Tools saga: building the wrong thing (and Disney lawyers)
(15:15) Bahamas studio build: consulting where quality really matters
(16:34) Gear talk & pro tips: teleprompters, cameras, and looking at the lens
(18:50) Podcasting goes video-first: clips, discovery, TikTok, and the wrap-up
About Chris Hill:
Chris Hill is a Knoxville, TN native and founder of Humble Pod, where he helps brands, startups, and thought leaders develop, launch, and grow podcasts across the U.S. and beyond. He works with clients ranging from local Knoxville businesses to entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and around the world.Chris is the co-host and producer of Our Humble Beer Podcast and lectures on podcasting and marketing at the University of Tennessee. He earned his undergraduate degree in Marketing & Entrepreneurship from the University of Tennessee at …
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Coding Agents and the Inevitable AI Bubble with Eric Anderson
12 februari 2026 · 29 min
Eric Anderson, partner at VC firm Scale, talks about why coding agents changed software forever and why the AI bubble can't be avoided. Eric worked on Spot Instances at AWS and data products at Google before becoming a VC. He explains how companies can still compete against Anthropic and OpenAI by staying laser-focused instead of fighting on every front. Lees meer
Corey and Eric discuss why AWS didn’t kill all startups even when they launched competing products, why the AI bubble can't be avoided when companies go from $1 billion to $7 billion in revenue in one year, and why the best AI products don't scream “AI” everywhere in their marketing.
Show Highlights:
(02:30) Building Spot Instances at AWS
(07:41) Why Coding Agents Changed Everything
(10:35) Agents Doing Code Review Now
(13:53) Competing with Frontier Labs
(17:05) Why AWS Didn’t Kill All Startups
(19:01) Finding the Right Front to Fight On
(22:20) Why the Bubble Is Inevitable
(23:36) AI Pricing Will Eventually Crash
(26:33) Honeycomb’s AI Done Right
(28:04) Where to Find Eric
Links:
Scale: https://www.scalevp.com/Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmand/
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Fixing Shadow AI and Surviving re:Invent with Chase Douglas
5 februari 2026 · 33 min
Chase Douglas, CEO at Archodex, talks about AI security problems and why re:Invent has become a nightmare. Chase helps companies capture every AI interaction so they don't get in trouble with compliance. Corey and Chase discuss Shadow AI, why Corey runs Claude Code in an account called “Superfund,” and how re:Invent put metal spikes on benches so people couldn't sit down. They also talk about why AWS released fewer announcement than before, and why Chase is finally optimistic about AI coding tools after months of frustration. Lees meer
Show Highlights:
(01:51) What Archodex Does
(07:00) The Superfund Account for AI
(08:19) Shadow AI Problem
(11:41) What Happened at re:Invent
(14:59) Sponsorship Costs at re:Invent
(17:00) Metal Spikes on Benches
(21:39) AWS Releases Declining
(25:24) Why Chase Is Finally Optimistic About AI Coding
(27:13) Code Review Changed with AI
(31:22) Where to Find Chase
Links:
Archodex: https://archodex.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedouglas/
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Building Software While Keeping Humans in Charge
29 januari 2026 · 30 min
Alyss Noland, who works on Cloud Dev Ecosystem at Nvidia, is back on the show to talk about building software with AI when you're not a real developer. Alyss runs a program that gives AI startups access to Nvidia GPUs and uses AI tools herself to build production software at Nvidia. Corey and Alyss discuss using AI to help curate newsletters without actually writing them, why humans still need to check everything, and the weird reality of people developing relationships with chatbots. Lees meer
Show Highlights:
(01:34) What Alyss Does at Nvidia
(05:44) When AI First Worked for Corey
(07:34) Building Internal Tools vs Using AI
(10:39) Using AI to Help Write Last Week in AWS
(13:43) DGX Cloud Innovation Lab
(17:11) Building Production Software with AI
(20:48) The Future of SEO
(25:24) Using AI as a Writing Assistant
(29:51) closing remarks
Links:
Alyss’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssnoland/
Alyss’s Personal Website: https://dev.to/preciselyalyss
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
How Homebrew Became Mac's Package Manager with Mike McQuaid
27 januari 2026 · 41 min
Mike McQuaid, Project Leader of Homebrew, joins Corey Quinn to share how a package manager conceived in a London pub became essential for 10 million Mac users. Homebrew lets you install software with one command instead of downloading files and clicking through installers, maintained by just 30 people who each get $300 a month.
Mike shares the origin story from a drunken conversation about package management, explains how Homebrew Bundle can set up a new Mac with one command, and why Homebrew refuses to package software with fake open source licenses like Terraform's new versions. Lees meerShow Highlights:
(01:44) Why Homebrew Works on Linux
(04:02) The Curl Bash Security Problem
(05:02) Homebrew Was Conceived in a London Pub
(06:42) Apps That Auto-Update Four Times a Day
(08:43) Brew Bundle
(14:00) Why Homebrew Auto-Updates Itself
(18:18) Homebrew Maintainers Get $300 a Month
(22:19) The Brew Doctor Command
(29:10) Why Homebrew Doesn't Package Fake Open Source
(32:05) Open Source Is Not a Career
(35:27) When Someone Blamed Homebrew for Breaking Their Business
(37:39) Auto-Update Options for Homebrew
(39:40) Where to Find Mike
Links:
Website: https://mikemcquaid.com
Homebrew: https://brew.sh
GitHub: https://github.com/homebrew
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com
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Is It Broken Everywhere or Just for Me with Omri Sass
22 januari 2026 · 31 min
When your website stops working at 3 AM, you need to answer one question fast: Is it my code or is a big cloud provider having problems? Omri Sass from Datadog explains updog.ai, a tool that monitors whether major services like AWS, CloudFlare, and others are actually working. Instead of asking people to report problems like Down Detector does, updog uses real data from thousands of computers to detect when services go down. Omri shares why this took 6 years to build, how they process massive amounts of data with machine learning, and why cloud providers have been strangely upset about these tools existing. Lees meer
About Omri:
Omri Sass is a Director of Product Management at Datadog, where he leads and supports a team of 25+ product managers driving initiatives across Bits AI SRE, Data Observability, Service Management, and most recently, the launch of updog.ai. Outside of work, Omri is an avid sci-fi reader, a dedicated yoga practitioner, and happily outmatched by his cat.
Show Highlights:
(02:12) What is Updog and How Does It Work
(03:38) Why Knowing If It's a Global Problem Matters
(04:01) The Problem With Testing Every Endpoint Yourself
(05:52) How Datadog Discovered EC2 Outages From Their Own Systems
(10:38) When AWS Regions Go Down and Cascade Failures
(13:13) What Happens When Services Rebuild Completely
(16:29) The Most Important Learning During a 3 AM Incident
(20:11) Why This Took So Long to Build
(23:40) When Datadog Going Down Isn't Critical Path
(25:22) How They Picked Which AWS Services to Monitor
(27:07) What Comes Next for Updog
(30:11) Where to Find Omri and UpdogLinks:
Datadog: datadoghq.com
Omir’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omri-sass-65632a14/
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Solving the 20-Year S3 File System Problem with Hunter Leath
20 januari 2026 · 32 min
Hunter Leath, CEO of Archil, spent 8 years building Amazon's EFS file storage system, learning exactly why making cloud storage act like a hard drive always fails. Old programs need hard drives, but cloud storage doesn't work like hard drives—a problem that's existed for 20 years. Lees meer
Now Hunter's building Archil, which puts super-fast storage between programs and S3 so they can finally work together. Your programs think they're talking to a regular disk while your data lives safely in the cloud.
Hunter explains how they're doing what others couldn't, why it costs less than Amazon's own solutions, and why file systems suddenly matter again in the AI era.
Show Highlights:
(01:37) What Archil Does and Why It Exists
(02:26) Why Mounting S3 as a File System Has Always Failed
(03:07) What Building EFS Taught Hunter
(06:55) Using Fast SSDs as a Cache Layer for S3
(09:45) Attaching Archil to Your Existing S3 Buckets
(15:08) Why Archil Costs Less Than EBS When You Do the Math
(17:56) What Happens If Amazon Builds This Feature
(19:20) Competing With EBS Performance on GP3 Volumes
(21:43) Raising $6.7 Million Without an AI Pitch
(23:46) What Customers Get Wrong About Archil
(28:07) Accessing Data Stored in Glacier Deep Archive
(29:24) The Plan to Get Into the Linux Kernel
(30:51) Where to Find Hunter
About Hunter Leath:
Hunter is the founder and CEO of Archil, which transforms S3 buckets into infinite, local file systems that provide instant access to massive data sets. Prior to Archill, Hunter spent the last ten years in the cloud storage industry, including 8 years building Amazon's Elastic File System product and one year on Netflix's core storage team.
Links:
Hunter Leath on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hleath/Hunter Leath on X: https://x.com/jhleath/
Archil’s Website: https://archil.com
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Building Systems That Work Even When Everything Breaks with Ben Hartshorne
15 januari 2026 · 36 min
When AWS has a major outage, what actually happens behind the scenes? Ben Hartshorne, a principal engineer at Honeycomb, joins Corey Quinn to discuss a recent AWS outage and how they kept customer data safe even when their systems couldn't fully work. Ben explains why building services that expect things to break is the only way to survive these outages. Ben also shares how Honeycomb used its own tools to cut their AWS Lambda costs in half by tracking five different things in a spreadsheet and making small changes to all of them. Lees meer
About Ben Hartshorne:
Ben has spent much of his career setting up monitoring systems for startups and now is thrilled to help the industry see a better way. He is always eager to find the right graph to understand a service and will look for every excuse to include a whiteboard in the discussion.
Show highlights:
(02:41)Two Stories About Cost Optimization
(04:20) Cutting Lambda Costs by 50%
(08:01) Surviving the AWS Outage
(09:20) Preserving Customer Data During the Outage
(13:08) Should You Leave AWS After an Outage?
(15:09) Multi-Region Costs 10x More
(18:10) Vendor Dependencies
(22:06) How LaunchDarkly's SDK Handles Outages
(24:40) Rate Limiting Yourself
(29:00) How Much Instrumentation Is Too Much?
(34:28) Where to Find Ben
Links:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benhartshorne/
GitHub: https://github.com/maplebed
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Engineering Around Extreme S3 Scale with R. Tyler Croy
13 januari 2026 · 34 min
R. Tyler Croy, a principal engineer at Scribd, joins Corey Quinn to explain what happens when simple tasks cost $100,000. Checking if files are damaged? $100K. Using newer S3 tools? Way too expensive. Normal solutions don't work anymore. Tyler shares how with this much data, you can't just throw money at the problem, but rather you have to engineer your way out. Lees meer
About R. Tyler:
R. Tyler Croy leads infrastructure architecture at Scribd and has been an open source developer for over 14 years. His work spans the FreeBSD, Python, Ruby, Puppet, Jenkins, and Delta Lake communities. Under his leadership, Scribd’s Infrastructure Engineering team built Delta Lake for Rust to support a wide variety of high performance data processing systems. That experience led to Tyler developing the next big iteration of storage architecture to power large-scale fulltext compute challenges facing the organization.
Show Highlights:
01:48 Scribd's 18-Year History04:00 One Document Becomes Billions of Files
05:47 When Normal Physics Stop Working
08:02 Why S3 Metadata Costs Too Much
10:50 How AI Made Old Documents Valuable
13:30 From 100 Billion to 100 Million Objects
15:05 The Curse of Retail Pricing
19:17 How Data Scientists Create Growth
21:18 De-Normalizing Data Problems
25:29 Evolving Old Systems
27:45 Billions Added Since Summer
29:29 Underused S3 Features
31:48 Where to Find Tyler
Links:
Scribd: https://tech.scribd.com
Mastodon: https://hacky.town/@rtyler
GitHub: https://github.com/rtylerSponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
Avery Pennarun on Tailscale's Evolution: From Mesh VPN to AI Security Gateway
8 januari 2026 · 44 min
Corey Quinn sits down with Avery Pennarun, co-founder and CEO of Tailscale, for a deep dive into how the company is reinventing networking for the modern era. From finally making VPNs behave the way they should to tackling AI security with zero-click authentication, Avery shares candid insights on building infrastructure people actually love using, and love talking about. Lees meer
They get into everything: surviving 100% year-over-year growth, why running on two tailnets at once is pure chaos, and how Tailscale makes “secure by default” feel effortless. Plus, they dig into why FreeBSD firewalls needed some tough love, the uncomfortable truth behind POCs, and even the surprisingly useful trick of turning your Apple TV into an exit node.
About Avery:
Avery Pennarun is the co-founder and CEO of Tailscale, where he’s redefining secure networking with a simple, Zero Trust approach. A veteran software engineer with experience ranging from startups to Google, he’s known for turning complex systems into approachable, user-friendly tools. His contributions to projects like wvdial, bup, and sshuttle reflect his belief that great technology should be both powerful and easy to use. With a mix of technical depth and dry humor, Avery shares insights on modern networking, internet evolution, and the realities of scaling a startup.Highlights:
(0:00) Introduction to Tailscale and Security(00:52) Sponsorship and Personal Experiences
(02:07) Technical Deep Dive into Tail Scale
(06:10) Challenges and Future of Tail Scale
(22:45) Building the Tail Net's API
(23:54) Connecting Cloud Providers with Tailscale
(25:22) Tailscale as a Security Solution
(26:44) Innovations and Future of Tailscale
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
How Grokability Built a Profitable Open Source Business with Jeremy Price
6 januari 2026 · 31 min
Most open source companies do the same thing. They take investor money, lock their best features behind paywalls, sell the company, and disappoint everyone. Grokability did something different. Lees meer
Jeremy Price, VP of Technology at Grokability talks with Corey Quinn about how they built a business that makes enough money without chasing endless growth. From why they use simple technology to how they run thousands of separate installations for customers, Jeremy explains what happens when you care more about making a good product than explosive growth.
Show Highlights:
(00:51) Welcoming Jeremy Price from Grokability
(03:34) How Snipe-IT Started With a Bet
(05:30) Paying for Software Can Change Everything
(07:40) When AWS Competes With Open Source
(10:10) Boring Businesses Make Money
(15:30) Balancing Hosting Needs and Product Quality
(18:00) Pricing That Avoids Big Customer Problems
(21:06) Better Than a Google Sheet
(27:02) The Psychology of Buying
(29:33) Where to Find Jeremy and Grokability
Links:
https://jermops.com/about/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremygprice/
https://snipeitapp.com/company
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com -
The AI Productivity Gap with Keith Townsend
11 december 2025 · 41 min
Corey Quinn reconnects with Keith Townsend, founder of The CTO Advisor, for a candid conversation about the massive gap between AI hype and enterprise reality. Keith shares why a biopharma company gave Microsoft Copilot a hard no, and why AI has genuinely 10x’d his personal productivity while Fortune 500 companies treat it like radioactive material. From building apps with Cursor to watching enterprises freeze in fear of being the next AI disaster in the news, Keith and Corey dig into why the tools transforming solo founders and small teams are dead on arrival in the enterprise, and what it'll actually take to bridge that gap. Lees meer
About Keith Townsend
Keith Townsend is an enterprise technologist and founder of The Advisor Bench LLC, where he helps major IT vendors refine their go-to-market strategies through practitioner-driven insights from CIOs, CTOs, and enterprise architects. Known as “The CTO Advisor,” Keith blends deep expertise in IT infrastructure, AI, and cloud with a talent for translating complex technology into clear business strategy.
With more than 20 years of experience, including roles as a systems engineer, enterprise architect, and PwC consultant, Keith has advised clients such as HPE, Google Cloud, Adobe, Intel, and AWS. His content series, 100 Days of AI and CloudEveryday.dev, provide practical, plainspoken guidance for IT leaders. A frequent speaker at VMware Explore, Interop, and Tech Field Day, Keith is a trusted voice on cloud and infrastructure transformation.Show Highlights
(01:25) Life After the Futurum Group Acquisition(03:56) Building Apps You're Not Qualified to Build with Cursor
(05:45)Creating an AI-Powered RSS Reader
(09:01) Why AI is Great at Language But Not Intelligence
(11:39) Are You Looking for Advice or Just Validation?
(13:49) Why Startups Can Risk AI Disasters and AWS Can't
(17:28) You Can't Outsource Responsibility
(19:52) Business Users Are Scared of AI Too
(23:00) LinkedIn's AI Writing Tool Misses the Point
(26:…
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AI Agents, Enterprise Risk, and the Future of Recovery: Rubrik’s Vision with Dev Rishi
4 december 2025 · 36 min
In this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn sits down with Rubrik’s GM of AI, Dev Rishi, to unpack the real story behind enterprise AI adoption, the rise of agentic systems, and why most organizations are still stuck in read-only mode. Dev breaks down how Rubrik’s Agent Rewind brings safety, observability, and resilience to AI-driven actions, solving the “Oh no, the agent deleted production data” problem before it happens. From deep learning’s evolution to the massive gap between consumer AI enthusiasm and enterprise risk posture, this conversation is a candid, insightful look at the AI future Global 2000 companies are racing toward… or cautiously tiptoeing into. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(00:25) Understanding Rubrik and Agent Rewind
(00:50) Challenges in AI and Disaster Recovery
(01:27) Guest Introduction: Dev Rishi from Rubrik
(01:44) The Evolution of AI in Enterprises
(02:33) Starting an AI Company: The Backstory
(05:10) Generative AI and Its Impact
(07:15) Enterprise AI Trends and Challenges
(08:56) The Future of Agentic AI
(18:03) AI in Customer Support
(22:03) Rubrik's Acquisition and AI Strategy
(29:30) Launching Rubrik Agent Cloud
(31:26) Lessons from Starting a Machine Learning Company
(35:25) Conclusion and Contact Information
Sponsor:
Rubrik: https://www.rubrik.com/sitc -
From Code to Cash: How André Arko Builds Better Tools and Gets Paid for Open Source
13 november 2025 · 41 min
André Arko, CEO of Spinel Cooperative and longtime Bundler maintainer, joins Corey Quinn to introduce RV, a new Ruby tool that installs Ruby in one second instead of 10-40 minutes by using precompiled binaries. Inspired by Python's UV, RV aims to simplify Ruby dependency management without the complexity of older tools like RVM and rbenv. They talk about why Ruby isn't actually dead, Apple's problem with shipping a five-year-old end-of-life Ruby in macOS, and the challenges of writing dependency managers in the language they manage. André also shares how he transitioned from a struggling nonprofit model to a cooperative that charges companies for expertise, proving that open source maintainers can build sustainable businesses without relying on donations. Lees meer
Show Highlights:
(03:50) Introducing RV
(05:12) The RVM vs rbenv Wars and Why They All Break Bundler
(09:00) Why Your Mac Still Shows Ruby 3.0.0 in Your Prompt
(11:00) The Chef vs Puppet Philosophy Divide
(16:30) Installing Ruby in One Second vs 40 Minutes
(18:13) Apple’s Ancient System Ruby Problem
(22:20) RV’s Incremental Approach
(24:23) Is Ruby Dead?
(28:44) Why RV Is Written in Rust, Not Ruby
(31:10) The Bundler Problem
(32:15) The Financial Reality
(38:00) Spinel’s Plans to Make Money
(39:23) How to Stay In Contact with André
Links:
André Arko: https://arko.net
Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/indirect.io
Spinel Cooperative: https://spinel.coopSponsor:
Rubrik: https://www.rubrik.com/sitc -
Cyber Resilience Beyond Prevention with Anneka Gupta
30 oktober 2025 · 34 min
When attackers are smart enough to hit your backups, recovery becomes your best defense. Rubrik’s Chief Product Officer, Anneka Gupta, joins host Corey Quinn to break down what true cyber resilience looks like in today’s multi-cloud world. From AI-driven recovery to surviving ransomware with your data (and reputation) intact, this episode covers what it really takes to bounce back when everything goes sideways. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(00:00) Introduction to Ransomware and Backups
(00:25) Welcome to Screaming in the Cloud
(00:32) Introducing Rubrik and Annika Gupta
(01:26) What Does Rubrik Do?
(02:18) Evolution of Backup and Recovery
(03:37) Challenges in Cyber Recovery
(05:33) Rubrik's Approach to Cyber Resilience
(08:44) Importance of Cyber Recovery Simulations
(09:40) Security vs. Operational Recovery
(11:28) Assume Breach: A New Security Paradigm
(14:29) Multi-Cloud Complexities and Security
(27:45) Hybrid Cloud and Cyber Resilience
(29:25) AI in Cyber Resilience
(33:09) Conclusion and Contact Information
About Anneka Gupta
Anneka Gupta is a senior executive leader with a proven track record of scaling successful B2B SaaS businesses from the ground up. She’s led across product, tech, go-to-market, and operations, always with a customer-first mindset. Known for turning complex challenges into big wins, Anneka brings energy, innovation, and real-world results to every team she leads.She’s been recognized as one of San Francisco Business Times’ Most Influential Women in Business and 40 Under 40, as well as a Rising Star by AdExchanger and Marketing EDGE. Oh, and AdAge once named her one of the Top 10 Digital Marketing Innovators.
Links
rubrik.com/sitc
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annekagupta/Sponsor:
Rubrik: https://www.rubrik.com/sitc -
Cloud Repatriation: Because Conspiracy Theories Are Cheaper with Deana Solis
16 oktober 2025 · 40 min
Deana Solis, 2022 FinOps Foundation Evangelist of the Year, joins Corey Quinn to discuss her winding career path from electrical engineering to healthcare IT to FinOps. She shares why certifications are "largely performative," warns that AI can turn your AWS bill into "a telephone number," and explains why NAT Gateway costs hit everyone from hobbyists to enterprises. The episode covers cloud repatriation conspiracy theories, translating between engineering and finance teams, and why good FinOps work is really just getting humans in a room to talk. Lees meer
Show Highlights:
(02:36) FinOps Foundation
(03:15) FinOps as Marriage Counseling Between Engineering and Finance
(06:00) Deana’s Journey From Electrical Engineering to FinOps
(12:41) The Performative Nature of Certifications
(16:22) AI as Both a Threat and Tool in FinOps
(20:41) Why AI Is Flooding the Job Market with Noise
(25:09) Why FinOps Is Never Boring Despite Sounding Like It
(29:10) The NAT Gateway Problem
(33:09) The Generational Divide in Cloud Platform Preferences
(37:23) Stay In Contact With Deana Solis
About Deana Solis:
Deana Solis is a senior FinOps engineer with more than 20 years of infrastructure management experience. Recognized as the FinOps Evangelist of the Year by the FinOps Foundation in 2022, she has become a leading voice in driving cloud financial accountability and culture.
Beyond her technical expertise, Deana is passionate about humanizing technology. She serves as a FinOps Foundation ambassador and mentor, using her voice to elevate Women in FinOps and underrepresented folks in technology.
Her unique journey, from electrical engineering to liberal studies to FinOps, embodies both analytical rigor and emotional intelligence. Deana isn’t just shaping the way organizations think about cloud costs; she’s helping reshape the culture of technology itself.
Sponsor: https://www.wiz.io/
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Five Slot Machines at Once: Chris Weichel on the Future of Software Development
2 oktober 2025 · 41 min
On this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey welcomes back Chris Weichel, CTO of Ona (formerly Gitpod). Chris explains the rebrand and why Ona is building for a future where coding agents, not just humans, write software.
They discuss what changes when agents spin up environments, why multi-agent workflows feel addictive, and how Ona is solving the scaling and safety challenges behind it.
If you’re curious about the next wave of software engineering and how AI will reshape developer tools, this episode is for you. Lees meerAbout Chris: Chris Weichel is the Chief Technology Officer at Ona (formerly Gitpod), where he leads the engineering team behind the company’s cloud-native development platform. With more than two decades of experience spanning software engineering and human–computer interaction, Chris brings a rare combination of technical depth and user-centered perspective to the systems he helps design and build.
He is passionate about creating technology that empowers people and tackling complex engineering challenges. His expertise in cloud-native architecture, programming, and digital fabrication has earned him multiple publications, patents, and industry awards. Chris is continually exploring new opportunities to apply his broad skill set and enthusiasm for building transformative technology in both commercial and research settings.
Show Highlights
(00:00) Introduction to Modern Software Interfaces(00:55) Welcome to Screaming in the Cloud
(01:02) Introducing Chris Weichel and Ona
(02:23) The Evolution from Git Pod to Ona
(03:26) Challenges and Insights on Company Renaming
(05:16) The Changing Landscape of Software Engineering
(05:54) The Role of AI in Code Generation
(12:04) The Importance of Development Environments
(15:44) The Future of Software Development with Ona
(21:31) Practical Applications and Challenges of AI Agents
(30:01) The Economics of AI in Software Development
(38:11) The Future Vision for Ona
(39:41) Conclusion and Contact Info…
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From Aurora to PlanetScale: Intercom’s Database Evolution with Brian Scanlan
18 september 2025 · 44 min
Brian Scanlan, Senior Principal Engineer at Intercom, the company building Fin.ai, joins Corey Quinn on Screaming in the Cloud to discuss Intercom’s move from AWS Aurora to PlanetScale’s managed Vitess after years of scaling challenges with their Ruby on Rails monolith. He explains how 13 Aurora clusters created operational pain and why PlanetScale’s white-glove, partnership-driven model won out over Amazon’s building-block approach. Lees meer
The discussion also covers Intercom’s volunteer-based on-call system, their pivot to AI agents after ChatGPT’s launch, concerns about the shrinking pipeline of systems engineers, and how companies like PlanetScale and Snowflake are outpacing AWS by delivering superior user experiences.
About Brian: Brian is an engineer based in Intercom’s Dublin office. He fixes problems, builds things, and grows people.
Show Highlights
(01:34) The Digital Clippy Rant
(2:16) The Good Chatbot vs. Bad Chatbot
(03:51) The AI Chatbot Revolution
(04:33) Unexpected Consequences of Good Chatbots
(05:42) AI Support vs. Human Support
(05:59) The Alexa Problem and Feature Discoverability
(19:03) Amazon's Struggles Moving Up the Stack
(26:55) The Unix Networking Society Origins
(34:43) The Global On-Call Challenge
(42:09) LinkedIn: The World's Largest Porn Site
Links
Intercom: intercom.com
Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scanlanb/
Brian on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bscanlan.bsky.social
Sponsor
Wiz - Listen to Crying Out Cloud: wiz.io/crying-out-cloud -
Conversations at the Intersection of AI and Code with Harjot Gill
4 september 2025 · 34 min
AI is rewriting the rules of code review and CodeRabbit is leading the charge. In this featured episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Harjot Gill shares with Corey Quinn how his team built the most-installed AI app on GitHub and GitLab, nailed positive unit economics, and turned code review into a powerful guardrail for the AI era. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Entrepreneurial Journey and Code Rabbit's Origin
(3:06) The Broken Nature of Code Reviews
(5:47) Developer Feedback and the Future of Code Review
(9:50) AI-Generated Code and the Code Review Burden
(11:46) Traditional Tools vs. AI in Code Review
(13:41) Keeping Up with State-of-the-Art Models
(16:16) Cloud Architecture and Google Cloud Run
(18:21) Context Engineering for Large Codebases
(20:52) Taming LLMs and Balancing Feedback
(22:30) Business Model and Open Source StrategyAbout Harjot Gill
Harjot is the CEO of CodeRabbit, a leading AI-first developer tools company.
Links
Harjot on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harjotsgill/
Sponsor
CodeRabbit: https://coderabbit.link/corey -
The Transformation Trap: Why Software Modernization Is Harder Than It Looks
21 augustus 2025 · 33 min
In this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn talks with Jonathan Schneider, CEO of Moderne and author on Java microservices and automated code remediation. They explore why upgrading legacy systems is so hard, Schneider’s journey from Netflix to building large-scale code transformation tools like OpenRewrite, and how major companies like Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft use it. Lees meer
They also discuss AI in software development, cutting through the hype to show where it genuinely helps, and the human and technical challenges of modernization. The conversation offers a practical look at how AI and automation can boost productivity without replacing the need for expert oversight.
Show Highlights
(2:07) Book Writing and the Pain of Documentation
(4:03) Why Software Modernization Is So Hard
(6:53) Automating Software Modernization at Netflix
(8:07) Culture and Modernization: Netflix vs. Google vs. JP Morgan
(10:40) Social Engineering Problems in Software Modernization
(13:20) The Geometric Explosion of Software Complexity
(17:57) The Foundation for LLMs in Software Modernization
(21:16) AI Coding Assistants: Confidence, Fallibility, and Collaboration
(22:37) The Python 2 to 3 Migration: Lessons for Modernization
(27:56) The Human Element: Responsibility, Skepticism, and the Future of Work
Links
Crying Out Cloud Podcast & Newsletter: https://www.wiz.io/crying-out-cloud
Modern (Jonathan Schneider's company): https://modern.ai
LinkedIn (Jonathan Schneider): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanschneider/
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AI's Security Crisis: Why Your Assistant Might Betray You
7 augustus 2025 · 1 uur 5 min
On this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn talks with Simon Willison, founder of Datasette and creator of LLM CLI about AI’s realities versus the hype. They dive into Simon’s “lethal trifecta” of AI security risks, his prediction of a major breach within six months, and real-world use cases of his open source tools, from investigative journalism to OSINT sleuthing. Simon shares grounded insights on coding with AI, the real environmental impact, AGI skepticism, and why human expertise still matters. A candid, hype-free take from someone who truly knows the space. Lees meer
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction and Security Concerns
02:32 Conversations and Kindness
04:56 Niche Museums and Collecting
06:52 Blogging as a Superpower
08:01 Challenges of Writing and AI
15:08 Unique Use Cases of Dataset
19:33 The Evolution of Open Source
21:09 Security Vulnerabilities in AI
32:18 Future of AI and AGI Concerns
37:10 Learning Programming with AI
39:12 Vibe Coding and Its Risks
41:49 Environmental Impact of AI
46:34 AI in Legal and Creative Fields
54:20 Voice AI and Ethical Concerns
01:00:07 Monetizing Content CreativelyLinks:
Simon Willison’s Blog
Datasette Project
LLM command-line tool and Python library
Niche Museums
GitHub MCP prompt injection example
Highlights from the Claude 4 system prompt
AI energy usage tag
AI assisted search-based research actually works now
POSSE: Publish on your own site, syndicate elsewhere
Bellingcat
Lawyer cites fake cases invented by ChatGPT, judge is not amused (May 2023)
AI hallucination cases database
Sponsor Simon to get his monthly summary newsletter
https://simonwillison.net/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonwillison
https://datasette.io/
Sponsor
Augment Code: https://www.augmentcode.com/ -
Betting on AI: The Delusion Driving Big Tech
24 juli 2025 · 1 uur 9 min
In this deep-dive episode, Corey Quinn and Ed Zitron break down the complex and often murky world of AI and the tech giants fueling today’s rapid innovation. From Nvidia’s soaring valuations to OpenAI’s shaky finances and Microsoft’s high-stakes gambles, they reveal the cracks hidden beneath all the hype. Lees meer
They navigate the tangled web of corporate finance, big investments, and what could happen if the AI boom falters whether it reshapes the economy or crashes spectacularly.
With sharp takes on the crossroads of AI, crypto hype, SaaS economics, and enterprise software, Cory and Ed cut through the noise to separate myth from reality. They ask: Is today’s tech gold rush truly transformative, or just another bubble pumped up by money, media, and wishful thinking?
If you’re into tech or investing, this episode challenges you to look past the buzzwords and understand the real forces shaping the future of technology.
Highlights
(00:00) Introduction and Initial Thoughts on AI
(00:53) AI Skepticism and Financial Realities
(03:01) Economic Analysis of AI Companies
(07:44) Microsoft and OpenAI: A Complex Relationship
(11:23) The Broader AI Market and Its Challenges
(16:49) Comparing AI to Other Technological Innovations
(34:45) The Salesforce AI Buzzword Craze
(35:09) The Disconnect Between Business Press and Valuations
(36:37) Google's AI Economics and TPU Insights
(39:34) Meta's Midlife Crisis and AI Investments
(47:11) The Nvidia GPU Dependency
(58:40) OpenAI's Financial StrugglesAbout Ed Zitron
Ed Zitron is the CEO of EZPR, a national public relations agency focused on technology and business. He writes the popular tech and culture newsletter Where’s Your Ed At and is the author of two books: This Is How You Pitch: How To Kick Ass In Your First Years of PR and Fire Your Publicist. Ed has been named one of Insider’s Top 50 Best Public Relations People in Tech four times.Links:
Where's your ed at
https://www.ezpr.com/about-us
Better off Line
Snark bot https://bs…
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Reliable Software by Default with Jeremy Edberg
10 juli 2025 · 36 min
Reliable software shouldn't be an accident, but for most developers it is. Jeremy Edberg, CEO of DBOS and the guy who scaled Reddit and Netflix, joins Corey Quinn to talk about his wild idea of saving your entire app into a database so it can never really break. They chat about Jeremy's "build for three" rule, a plan for scale without going crazy, why he set Reddit's servers to Arizona time to dodge daylight saving time, and how DBOS makes your app as tough as your data. Plus, Jeremy shares his brutally honest take on distributed systems cargo cult, autonomous AI testing, and why making it easy for customers to leave actually keeps them around. Lees meer
Public Bio:
Jeremy is an angel investor and advisor for various incubators and startups, and the CEO of DBOS. He was the founding Reliability Engineer for Netflix and before that he ran ops for reddit as its first engineering hire. Jeremy also tech-edited the highly acclaimed AWS for Dummies, and he is one of the six original AWS Heroes. He is a noted speaker in serverless computing, distributed computing, availability, rapid scaling, and cloud computing, and holds a Cognitive Science degree from UC Berkeley.Show Highlights
(02:08) - What DBOS actually does
(04:08) - "Everything as a database" philosophy and why it works
(08:26) - "95% of people will never outgrow one Postgres machine"
(10:13) - Jeremy's Arizona time zone hack at Reddit (and whether it still exists)
(11:22) - "Build for three" philosophy without over-engineering
(17:16) - Extracting data from mainframes older than the founders
(19:00) - Autonomous testing with AI trained on your app's history
(20:07) - The hardest part of dev tools
(22:00) - Corey's brutal pricing page audit methodology
(27:15) - Why making it easy to leave keeps customers around
(34:11) - Learn more about DBOS
Links
DBOS website: https://dbos.devDBOS documentation: https://docs.dbos.dev
DBOS GitHub: https://github.com/dbos-inc
DBOS Discord community: https://discord.gg/fM…
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See Why GenAI Workloads Are Breaking Observability with Wayne Segar
26 juni 2025 · 33 min
What happens when you try to monitor something fundamentally unpredictable? In this featured guest episode, Wayne Segar from Dynatrace joins Corey Quinn to tackle the messy reality of observing AI workloads in enterprise environments. They explore why traditional monitoring breaks down with non-deterministic AI systems, how AI Centers of Excellence are helping overcome compliance roadblocks, and why “human in the loop” beats full automation in most real-world scenarios. Lees meer
From Cursor’s AI-driven customer service fail to why enterprises are consolidating from 15+ observability vendors, this conversation dives into the gap between AI hype and operational reality, and why the companies not shouting the loudest about AI might be the ones actually using it best.
Show Highlights
(00:00) - Cold Open
(00:48) – Introductions and what Dynatrace actually does(03:28) – Who Dynatrace serves
(04:55) – Why AI isn't prominently featured on Dynatrace's homepage
(05:41) – How Dynatrace built AI into its platform 10 years ago
(07:32) – Observability for GenAI workloads and their complexity
(08:00) – Why AI workloads are "non-deterministic" and what that means for monitoring
(12:00) – When AI goes wrong
(13:35) – “Human in the loop”: Why the smartest companies keep people in control
(16:00) – How AI Centers of Excellence are solving the compliance bottleneck
(18:00) – Are enterprises too paranoid about their data?
(21:00) – Why startups can innovate faster than enterprises
(26:00) – The "multi-function printer problem" plaguing observability platforms
(29:00) – Why you rarely hear customers complain about Dynatrace
(31:28) – Free trials and playground environments
About Wayne Segar
Wayne Segar is Director of Global Field CTOs at Dynatrace and part of the Global Center of Excellence where he focuses on cutting-edge cloud technologies and enabling the adoption of Dynatrace at large enterprise customers. Prior to joining Dynatrace, Wayne was a Dynatrace customer where he…
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Presenting at re:Invent with Matt Berk and Bowen Wang
12 juni 2025 · 37 min
How do you wrangle the chaos of AWS cost tools and live presentations? In this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn is joined by AWS’s Bowen Wang and Matt Berk to break down their re:Invent talk and everything that almost went off the rails. From surprise tsunami alerts to last-minute feature changes, they explore the anxiety and art behind presenting at scale. They also look at how power user feedback shapes tools like the AWS Pricing Calculator, why storytelling matters more than specs, and what it’s like co-presenting with notes that say “make the rabbit joke.” They also discuss AWS’s internal planning process, how customers can get involved in talks, and where to catch them next. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(1:38) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(2:35) The importance of collecting feedback before launching a product
(4:52) The difference between the intended use of a product and how it’s actually used
(8:52) How Bowen and Matt were able to be so prepared for their presentation
(13:01) What many people don’t realize goes into practicing for a presentation
(17:14) How having a storyline helped Bowen and Matt facilitate better breakout sessions
(18:26) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(21:02) The importance of being able to go with the flow during presentations
(22:42) Why knowing your audience is essential for having a good presentation
(24:32) Choosing between breadth and depth when giving presentations
(25:05) Bowen and Matt’s advice for people who want to have their opportunity to give a talk with an AWS service team
(34:22) How to keep up with Matt and Bowen
About Matt Berk
Matt Berk is an AWS Principal Technical Account Manager at based in Brooklyn who's passionate about storytelling, cloud technologies, and FinOps. When he's not solving customer issues, Matt can be either be found in nature with his dog Ollie, at popular NYC restaurants, or at home planning his next trip to a theme park.
About Bowen Wang
Bowen Wang is a Principal…
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The Latest State of IaC with Ido Neeman
29 mei 2025 · 43 min
What’s going on with Infrastructure as Code? On this episode, Corey is joined by Firefly CEO and Co-Founder Ido Neeman to discuss the findings of the State of IaC 2025 report. Throughout their chat, Corey and Ido discuss the evolution of IaC adoption in enterprises, the challenges of managing multi-cloud and multi-IaC environments, and the importance of disaster recovery as code. The conversation also touches on the rise of open-source projects like Open Tofu and the significant role of automation in cloud cost optimization. This episode not only reflects on recent trends, but highlights the importance of robust cloud governance and the continuous need for innovation amidst increasing cloud complexity. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(0:59) Firefly sponsor read
(1:29) Firefly's semi-pivot to AI
(2:54) The findings of the State of IaC 2025 survey
(5:40) How are people working in multi-cloud environments
(8:14) Is there a responsible way to use Helm charts?
(11:21) The currrent state of Pulumi
(12:46) Problems that can be encountered with large enterprises
(18:07) The continuum between innovation and optimization
(21:51) Firefly sponsor read
(22:31) Are companies actually adopting infrastructure as code?
(28:49) The most interesting ways that Ido has seen enterprises use IaC in production
(33:40) What's stopping companies from fully leveraging IaC?
(41:06) Where you can find more from Ido and Firefly
About Ido Neeman
Ido Neeman is CEO and co-founder of Firefly, and the former CEO and co-founder of Nuweba, the fast and secure serverless platform. To the diversity of roles he has held, he brings more than a decade's experience in the elite Israeli intelligence corps, and later led the technology portfolio at a hedge fund. Today, he is focusing on helping organizations tackle cloud chaos through Infrastructure as Code.
Links
Firefly’s website: https://www.firefly.ai/
The State of IaC 2025: https://www.firefly.ai/state-of-iac-2025
Ido on Twitter: https:…
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Opening the Managed NAT Gateway with Malith Rajapakse
15 mei 2025 · 28 min
How does one manage to simplify the complexities of the NAT Gateway? In this episode of "Screaming in the Cloud," Corey Quinn interviews Malith Rajapakse, a DevOps engineer who has recently received acclaim for his blog post discussing the Managed NAT Gateway. Where AWS lacks in its documentation, Malith is a NATural at breaking things down. He’s so great at it that Corey had to invite him on the show! Malith shares the story behind his popular post, his creative process, and his use of interactive diagrams and engaging content. He and Corey also discuss the challenges of documentation and making technical subjects more appealing. Thankfully, Malith has already done that in written form, so enjoy this episode as he speaks it into the world! Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(1:24) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:58) Malith's background before his blog post
(4:21) Why Malith wrote about the Managed NAT Gateway
(5:38) Corey's problems with Managed NAT Gateway and why Malith's blog post impressed him
(10:05) The interactive elements of Malith's blog post and how they were made
(12:21) Maltih's front-end experience
(14:47) Transitioning from front-end to DevOps through JavaScript
(16:20) The juxtaposition of Malith's blog post vs. AWS's official documentation
(18:05) How AWS's documentation of the managed NAT gateway isn't user-friendly
(22:27) Why Malith went all out for his first blog post
(23:17) Corey's constructive feedback for Malith
(26:05) Where you can find more from Malith
About Malith Rajapakse
Malith is a Devops engineer creating visualisations at https://malithr.com/.
Links
Malith’s blog: https://malithr.com/
Interactive AWS NAT Gateway: https://malithr.com/aws/natgateway/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malith-rajapakse/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/malithr.com
Twitter: https://x.com/malithraj
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/mdilraj/
Sam Rose’s blog: https://samwho.dev/
Benjamin Dicken’s blog post on IO devices and la…
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The Latest on Microsoft Security with Ann Johnson
1 mei 2025 · 35 min
Microsoft has its fingers in a lot of pots, but just how secure are said pots? On this episode, Corey is joined by Ann Johnson, Corporate Vice President and Deputy CISO of Microsoft's Customer Security Management Office. Ann talks about her 40-year professional journey and how it's culminated in her current role. Corey is known to “punch up” at the big guys in the tech industry, but he and Ann talk about the challenges of corporate leadership and being a public face in such a prominent company. Since it’s 2025, of course, they’re going to talk about AI’s pros and cons (and why it shouldn’t be used to make art). Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(0:51) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:25) What Ann's been up to since she and Corey last spoke
(2:29) The makeup of Microsoft Security
(4:28) The unique company culture at Microsoft
(8:42) What's going on with Microsoft Azure
(10:31) How Ann handles the immense pressure of working in Microsoft Security
(14:13) The toxic nature of online criticism
(19:57) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(20:24) The value of telling your leaders the truth
(23:31) Ann's thoughts on the current state of AI
(28:44) Properly defining what AI can and can't do
(30:54) Why Ann helps fund multiple STEM scholarships
(32:16) The need for the humanities alongside tech
(33:38) Where you can find more from Ann JohnsonAbout Ann Johnson
Ann Johnson is Corporate Vice President and Deputy CISO at Microsoft. In this role, Ann drives all external engagement for the Microsoft Office of the CISO. She is a long-tenured, recognized thought leader on cybersecurity, published author, and a sought-after global speaker and digital author specializing in cyber resilience, online fraud, cyberattacks, compliance, and security.Ann challenges traditional schools of thought and cyber-norms–from the way the tech industry tackles cyber threats to the language it uses to communicate–and encourages the industry to get outside its comfort zones and expand how it addresses the …
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Finding Engineers with Empathy with Lili Rogowsky
15 april 2025 · 31 min
If you believed, they put a data center on the moon. No, for real, they did, and it’s partially thanks to Lili Rogowsky, partner at Atypical Ventures. Lili joins Corey to discuss her unconventional leap from law to venture capital. Although she made a sharp turn career-wise, Lili remains grounded in the often heartless world of venture capital—highlighting the importance of empathy and technical prowess in founding successful enterprises. Out of all resources, time carries the heftiest price tag, and this half-hour episode is a low-risk, high-yield investment. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(1:12) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:46) How Corey (kinda) met Lili
(3:38) What attracted Corey to Atypical Ventures
(5:58) How Atypical helped put a data center on the moon
(8:34) VC “done right”
(9:59) What led Lili to run a VC firm
(13:43) Quitting jobs until you find something you like
(16:28) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(16:54) The value of sharing your time
(21:44) Risk assessment, well-dressed horses, and punching up in comedy
(24:44) The importance of humility in life and business
(29:15) Where you can find more from Lili and Atypical Ventures
About Lili Rogowsky
Lili is a dynamic investor, attorney, advisor, and entrepreneur. She is a partner at Atypical Ventures, an early-stage fund that identifies and invests in “engineers with empathy” working on plausible science fiction.
A voracious reader driven by her curiosity and love of type 2 fun, Lili’s experience includes (in no particular order) mountaineering, visual arts, marine science, founding a law firm, cave/ shark diving (not necessarily at the same time), data privacy/ security, gardening, recruiting, battling NYC rats that eat her car, and interplanetary internet.
Links
Atypical Ventures: atypical.com
Email Lili: lili@atypical.vc
Sponsor
The Duckbill Group: duckbillgroup.com
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Making Dropping and Sharing Easy with Timo Josten
1 april 2025 · 31 min
Dropping and sharing files should be easy. What a novel idea. On this episode, Corey speaks with Timo Josten, the sole developer behind Dropshare. We bring up the fact that he’s the only guy working on it because the tool is quite impressive! Corey loves it and so does an entire community of folks on Github! Together, they discuss the evolution and functionality of Dropshare. Timo also shares how he balance of enhancing Dropshare, emphasizing user feedback, and customization options, all while offering feature updates and maintaining sustainability. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(1:06) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:39) What does Dropshare do?
(6:10) Dropshare's impressive flexibility and dedicated community
(10:27) How Timo landed on Dropshare's business model
(12:38) What's new in Dropshare 6?
(16:09) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(16:36) Determining what should be an update or part of the next version of Dropshare
(18:30) Dropshare’s iOS app
(21:04) The perks of being able to configure deletion in Dropshare
(25:45) Dropshare's thriving GitHub community
(29:26) Where you can find more from Timo and Dropshare
About Timo Josten
Timo Josten is the developer of Dropshare, the macOS and iOS app to upload anything anywhere.
Links
Timo’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timo-josten-493962185/
Timo’s personal website: https://josten.io
Dropshare: https://dropshare.app/
shitposting.pictures
Sponsor
The Duckbill Group: duckbillgroup.com
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“Just in Case” vs. “Just in Time” with Aditya Bhargava
25 maart 2025 · 33 min
How you learn is important. Corey Quinn is joined by Aditya Bhargava, a Staff Software Engineer at Etsy and the author of Grokking Algorithms. They talk about the nuances of technical learning and the contrasting philosophies of "just in time" versus "just in case" learning. In this episode, Aditya emphasizes the importance of effective teaching methods and the value of incorporating fun things like drawings into technical explanations. This approach also bleeds into his illustrated Substack, DuckTypes. As Corey and Aditya discuss, a good, informative book doesn’t need to drag on, and this quick, insightful, 30-minute conversation is no different. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(1:24) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:58) Corey's admiration for Aditya's writing
(5:40) How Aditya clearly explains AWS networking
(8:06) “Just in case” vs. “just in time”
(10:15) Why business books don't need to be hundreds of pages long
(14:19) Reading for pleasure vs. reading for work
(16:57) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(17:24) Explaining Aditya's book on algorithms
(20:07) The great editor behind Aditya's book
(22:20) DuckTyped and how Aditya got into AWS networking
(25:16) Where networking folks fall in the era of the cloud
(28:12) The importance of staying up-to-date in your field
(31:46) Where you can find more from Aditya
About Aditya Bhargava
Aditya Bhargava is a Software Engineer with a dual background in Computer Science and Fine Arts. He blogs on programming at adit.io.
Links
Aditya’s blog: https://www.adit.io/
Grokking Algorithms, Second Edition: https://www.manning.com/books/grokking-algorithms-second-edition
DuckTyped: https://www.ducktyped.org/
Last Skeet in AWS: https://lastskeetinaws.com/
Sponsor
The Duckbill Group: duckbillgroup.com
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The Current State of Cloud Security with Crystal Morin
18 maart 2025 · 37 min
Sysdig’s 2025 Cloud-Native and Security Usage Report is hot off the presses, and Corey has questions. On this episode, he’s joined by Crystal Morin, a Cybersecurity Strategist at Sysdig, to break down the trends of the past year. They discuss Sysdig’s approach to detecting and responding to security and the success the company has seen with the rollout of Sysdig Sage (an AI product that Corey thinks is actually useful). They also chat about what’s driving a spike in machine identities, practical hygiene in cloud environments, and the crucial importance of automated responses to maintain robust security in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(0:39) Sysdig sponsor read
(2:22) Explaining Sysdig's 5/5/5 Benchmark
(4:06) What does Sysdig's work entail?
(10:03) Cloud security trends that have changed over the last year
(14:30) Sysdig sponsor read
(15:16) How Sysdig is using AI in its security products
(19:09) How many users are adopting AI tools like Sysdig Sage
(25:51) The reality behind the recent spike of machine identities in security
(29:24) Handling the scaling of machine identities
(35:37) Where you can find Sysdig's 2025 Cloud-Native and Security Usage Report
About Crystal Morin
Crystal Morin is a Cybersecurity Strategist with more than 10 years of experience in threat analysis and research. Crystal started her career as both a Cryptologic Language Analyst and Intelligence Analyst in the United States Air Force and as a contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton, where she helped develop and evolve their cyber threat intelligence community and threat-hunting capabilities. In 2022, Crystal joined Sysdig as a Threat Research Engineer on the Sysdig Threat Research Team, where she worked to discover and analyze cyber threat actors taking advantage of the cloud. Today, Crystal bridges the gap between business and security through cloud-focused content for leaders and practitioners alike. Crystal’s thought leadership…
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The Difference Between Marketing and BS with Jonathan Cowperthwait
11 maart 2025 · 32 min
What’s the difference between marketing and BS? On this episode, Corey Quinn is joined by Jonathan Cowperthwait, Duckbill’s brand-new Head of Marketing. Jonathan's career path is a bit unconventional. After all, not everyone can say their professional journey was influenced by The West Wing. Even though he’s a marketer by trade, Jonathan still has the technical know-how needed to work in the often expensive world of cloud economics. Have you ever wanted to know what The Duckbill Group’s relationship with AWS is really like? How fun is it to sit on domains like “oldmanstartup?” Is there a similarity between clouds and butts? This interview is the inside scoop on The Duckbill Group that you never knew you needed. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(1:11) Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:45) Acquiring the Duckbill Group office post-pandemic
(2:52) Keeping your pants on during a pandemic so you can officiate your nanny's wedding
(6:07) Jonathan's background prior to joining The Duckbill Group
(11:29) What Duckbill was looking for when they hired Jonathan
(14:54) When marketing begins to feel like spam
(15:40) The fun of having disposable domains and email addresses
(18:20) The importance of a good name for a product
(19:38) Duckbill Group sponsor read
(20:07) The Duckbill Group isn't just Corey Quinn
(21:03) The "Cloud to Butt" extension
(24:01) Corey's beef with Google's AI search engine
(24:57) What can people expect from the Duckbill Group's new marketing effort
(30:58) Where you can find more from Jonathan
About Jonathan Cowperthwait
Jonathan Cowperthwait does positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategy to maximize awareness and revenue for technology brands of all sizes.
He prides himself on being a slow runner, fast talker, and good writer.
Links
Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cowperthwait/
Jonathan on Bluesky: https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/cowp.co
Email Jonathan: offmylawn@oldmanstartup.com
Email Corey: corey@shitposti…
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Kicking Off a Tech Career as a Preteen with Alex Zenla
4 maart 2025 · 31 min
What were you doing at the age of 12? We’d wager to bet you weren’t getting invited to Google I/O. On this episode, Corey chats with Alex Zenla, the founder and CTO of Edera. Only in her mid-20s, Alex already has more than a decade’s worth of professional experience working in the tech industry. They discuss how Alex found her way into programming at a young age, her experiences with open source projects like the Dart Project and Chromium OS, and getting contacted by Google’s lawyers as a preteen. You’ll also get to learn about Alex’s company, Edera, and their creative approaches to Kubernetes container security using Xen hypervisors. Did we forget to mention that there are multiple sidebars about Minecraft in this one? So grab your pick axe, put on your headphones, and a Google legal will be at your door by the time we wrap up this conversation. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(0:54) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:28) What is Edera?
(2:18) Who is the target customer for Edera's product
(7:50) Breaking down the overhead makeup of Edera
(10:28) How Edera sidesteps the problems with container isolation
(13:20) Alex's history working with tech
(15:40) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(16:23) How a phone call with a lawyer helped get Alex to Google I/O at the age of 12
(18:55) Starting Alex's proper tech career thanks to a Dart library
(21:24) The important role of Minecraft in Alex's life and career
(23:40) The value of good networking
(28:15) What it's been like for Alex to raise a Series A
(29:56) Where you can find more from Alex
About Alex Zenla
Alex Zenla is a technologist that has 10+ years experience in the full-time corporate world who is rebuilding the foundations of infrastructure to be secure-by-design.
Alex grew an interest in computers at the age of 7, learning about hypervisors and hardware technologies. At the age of 11, she was inspired by the concept of Chrome OS to get involved in low level systems, where she contributed to the Chro…
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S3 and the Evolution of Storage with Andy Warfield
4 februari 2025 · 37 min
Andy Warfield joins Corey in this episode to discuss the evolution of storage technology at Amazon. This includes the evolution of S3 from archival storage to supporting modern AI and analytics. As Vice President and Distinguished Engineer at AWS, Andy is able to explain performance-enhancing innovations like S3 Tables and Common Runtime (CRT). On the other hand, challenges like compaction and namespace structuring are discussed. Reflecting on his journey from working on the Xen hypervisor to AWS, Andy shares insights into scaling S3, including buckets spanning millions of hard disks. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(1:09) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:43) Andy’s background
(3:38) How AWS envisioned services being used vs. what customers actually do with them
(6:54) The frustration of legacy applications not keeping up with the times
(10:14) Why S3 is so accurate
(15:29) S3 as a role model for how a service should be run
(18:04) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(18:46) Why AWS made Iceberg into a native offering
(23:50) Why S3 Tables is slightly more expensive
(28:23) How Andy handled the transition from Zen to Nitro
(32:22) What Andy is currently excited about
About Andy Warfield
Andrew Warfield is a VP / Distinguished Engineer at Amazon. As a senior technical leader at one of the world's largest technology companies, he plays a crucial role in shaping Amazon's engineering strategies and initiatives.
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andywarfield/
Email: warfield@Amazon.com
Sponsor
The Duckbill Group: duckbillgroup.com
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Evolving, Adapting, and Staying Prepared with Brian Weber
28 januari 2025 · 35 min
Ever wondered how Corey got to where he is today? You have Brian Weber to partially thank for that. On this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey catches up with his old friend and mentor to talk about the ever-evolving world of tech. Brian’s been around the block a time or two having done significant stints at Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter (during the Elon acquisition no less)! As Corey and Brian catch up, you’ll hear them chat about the importance of empathy, coaching the next generation of tech workers, and their conspiracies surrounding Google and Kubernetes. So grab your tinfoil hats, it’s time to go Screaming! Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(0:53) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:27) When Brian took Corey under his win
(3:21) Brian's experience coming to the cloud as an engineer
(7:24) Why it's important to reinvent yourself in tech
(8:54) How Brian reacted to the industry adopting Kubernetes over Mesos Marathon
(10:31) Kubernetes conspiracy theories
(12:30) The importance of empathy in tech
(15:46) Trying to advise younger generations entering tech
(19:19) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(20:02) Working at Twitter when jobs started getting cut and the site frequently went down
(22:41) The best way to navigate certification expiration
(26:08) Talking about "The Golden Path”
(28:52) Why you should always plan ahead in tech (and life)
(34:21) Where you can find more from Brian
About Brian Weber
Brian is a former FedRAMP DevOps Engineer for Coralogix. He’s also been a Site Reliability Engineer at Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook, where he has maintained large installations on-premises, building reliability, security, and developer efficiency. In my spare time, Brian skis, knits, cycles, bakes, and tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible.
Links
Brian’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-weber-2423b55/
Sponsor
The Duckbill Group: duckbillgroup.com
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Replay- A Conversation between Cloud Economists with Amy Arambulo Negrette
21 januari 2025 · 33 min
On this Screaming in the Cloud Replay, we look back at our conversation with Amy Negrette. Before she joined DigitalOcean Senior Development Advocate, she was a cloud economist at The Duckbill Group. Prior to that, Amy worked as a cloud architect at Trek10, Inc., a cloud software engineer lead at Cloudreach, a software developer at ASRC Research and Technology Solutions, and a software engineer at Yahoo, among other positions. She’s also an organizer of Write/Speak/Code, an organization committed to helping Under Represented Genders sharpen their technical speaking and writing capabilities. Join Corey and Amy as they discuss the pros and cons of remote work, what Duckbill’s organizational structure is like, remote work during the pandemic vs. remote work during the before times, why it’s nice to be able to work whenever you want to work instead of during fixed hours, why the future of travel in the tech industry should change, how Corey and Amy met, what makes cloud economics come natural to Amy, a tool that helps recreate physical events online more effectively than Zoom, and more. Lees meer
Show Highlights
(0:00) Intro
(0:57) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:30) Amy’s experience working with The Duckbill Group during the pandemic
(7:20) When Amy was the only cloud economist with a background in software engineering
(12:36) Is it antiquated to go on-site to meet with clients?
(16:23) Amy’s time spent working at NASA
(17:55) The Duckbill Group sponsor read
(18:38) What it’s like working IT for NASA
(20:28) Amy’s background prior to cloud consulting
(24:15) Amy’s view on public speaking events coming out of the pandemic
(29:21) Corey’s qualms with re:Invent
(31:51) Where you can find more from Amy
About Amy Arambulo Negrette
With over ten years industry experience, Amy Arambulo Negrette has built web applications for a variety of industries including Yahoo! Fantasy Sports and NASA Ames Research Center. One of her projects modernized two legacy systems impacti…