Category: 3-SometimeTechTalk

M.G. Siegler is the author of Spyglass. He joins Big Technology podcast for the latest of our monthly discussions about Big Tech strategy and AI. Today we cover whether OpenAI broke ChatGPT with its GPT-5 rollout and whether new AI models are similar to typical technology rollouts. We also cover Apple's forthcoming new lineup of phones: the iPhone Air, the folding iPhone, and the curved glass iPhone. We conclude with a discussion of the U.S. taking ownership 10% of Intel.

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Travis Oliphant, creator of NumPy and SciPy, joins Ryan to explore the development of Python as a data science tool, the evolution of these foundational libraries, and the importance of community and collaboration in open-source projects, including Travis’ current work to support sustainable open-source through the OpenTeams Incubator. 

Episode notes: 

NumPy and SciPy are the fundamental packages and algorithms for scientific computing with Python. NumPy 2.3.0 and SciPy 1.16.0 are out now. 

The OpenTeams Incubator helps start, grow, and sustain open-source software communities.

Quansight is a data, science, and engineering firm rooted in the work of the Python Data, Science, and AI/ML open-source communities.

Connect with Travis on LinkedIn or email him at travis@OTincubator.com

Today we’re shouting out user RobinFrcd for answering pytest-asyncio has a closed event loop, but only when running all tests and winning a Populist badge.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Cullerot, Vice President for Technology and Innovation at iTech AG joins the show to unpack the massive savings potential outlined in a recent GAO report—over $100 billion—through better IT asset management and consolidation. He shares real-world examples of how federal agencies are addressing duplicative systems, overcoming change management hurdles, and building scalable platforms that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen security.

Alex Kihm just turned 40, and has been into computers for 36 years. He was given his first hand me down computer at the age of 4 by his parents, and also grew up with lego bricks and building things. He is an engineer by training, but eventually switched to econometrics on the big data side. Outside of his professional life, he is married and describes himself as water affectionate. He enjoys swimming, diving - and free diving. In fact, he studied diving during his semester abroad. His free diving is mainly a hobby, but he has deep respect for the professional free divers of the world.

At his original startup, Alex started to dive into LLMs and immediately ran into RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation). When he observed the wrong information being returned, along with a ton of resource consumption in the process - IE cost - he set out to solve the problem, and figured out the solution was in the chunks.

This is the creation story of POMA AI.

Sponsors

• Paddle.com
• Sema Software
• PropelAuth
• Postman
• Meilisearch
• Mailtrap
• .TECH Domains (https://get.tech/codestory)

Links

• https://poma-ai.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-kihm-27a902338/

Sally Adee is the author of We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds. Adee joins Big Technology Podcast to pull back the curtain on the body’s hidden wiring and brain-computer interfaces. We dig into how electricity drives every thought and twitch, why Neuralink’s first patient blew our minds, and what it will take to keep implants working long after the hype cycle fades. Tune in for a tour of limb-regrowing tadpoles, cancer cells that short-circuit, and the uncomfortable ethics of pleasure buttons and startup bankruptcies. We also tackle the hard numbers—electrode counts, word-per-minute Hit play and get current.

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Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice.

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Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com

Today, I'm talking with Dan Eyman, the Managing Director at Meld Valuation, specializing in independent, audit ready valuations for VC backed startups and VC firms. He is an expert in the valuation of complex instruments such as convertible debt and SAFEs. Dan is going to illuminate the common mistakes of founders, how valuations differ, and what founders should understand about dilution and how fundraising affects their cap table.

Questions

• What are the most common mistakes you see founders make when it comes to valuations or equity structuring?
• Can you break down how SAFEs and convertible debt actually work—and how do they impact ownership over time?
• At what point should a startup bring in a valuation firm, and what are the risks of waiting too long?
• How do 409A and ASC 820 valuations differ, and why do they matter for venture-backed companies?
• What should founders understand about dilution and how fundraising rounds affect their cap table long-term?
• What are your general observations around venture capital investing, and the market for investment right now?
• You’ve worked with thousands of startups—what separates those who scale successfully from those who stall?

Links

• https://meldvaluation.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieleyman

SPONSORED BY AWS

Ryan welcomes Darko Mesaroš, Principal Developer Advocate at AWS and all around computer history buff, to chat about history of software development improvements and how they made developers made more productive. They discuss the technologies and breakthroughs that created greater abstractions on the underlying bit manipulations and made software development more powerful. 

Episode notes:

If you’re looking to take advantage of the breakthroughs mentioned in this episode, check out AWS Builder Center, a place for you to learn, build, and connect with builders in the AWS community.

If you want to connect with Darko, find him on social media including LinkedIn. 

Congrats to Lundin for being curious and asking about Implicit type promotion rules.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avi Perez has been in the data and analytics space for more than 25 years. He began his career in banking and finance in Australia, but quickly grew tired of crunching numbers for the big wigs, wanting to find a better way to calculate this information. Outside of tech, he enjoys a wide array of music, from classical to modern trance. He's a big science fiction nut, enjoying shows like Aliens and the Matrix, and cooks up some exquisite cuisine on occasion.

Within his prior startup, Avi and his co-founders built out a way to make intelligent decisions for their business using data. After they exited the business, they wanted to continue their data stint, but in particular, commercialize the analytics solution they built.

This is the creation story of Pyramid Analytics.

Sponsors

• Paddle.com
• Sema Software
• PropelAuth
• Postman
• Meilisearch
• Mailtrap
• .TECH Domains (https://get.tech/codestory)

Links

• https://www.pyramidanalytics.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/avi-perez-cto/