Big Ideas in App Architecture

Bluecore’s retail marketing platform is trusted by companies including CVS Pharmacy, Neiman Marcus, and more to transform data into effective customer journeys. To learn what it takes to build architecture capable of powering some of the world's biggest marketing campaigns and gathering valuable insights along the way, our host David Joy sat down with Software Architect Mike Hurwitz.Join as we discuss:The technical decisions behind Bluecore’s architectureWhy Bluecore prioritizes bandwidth over latencyThe most effective ways to work with AI/ML in marketingMike’s perspectives on programming languages including Visual Basic, C#, Scala, and Go

Revolutionizing education with technology, and classrooms in particular, is no easy lift. But the right interactive tools and the ability to navigate the complexities of scaling in a market driven by digital advancements, is essential for success.We hear all about the transformative journey of Kami, an education technology company, from Founder and CTO Jordan Thoms. He shares the company's evolution story in New Zealand, its early focus on teacher empowerment, and the pivotal moments in adapting its product direction based on the needs of the education community. Join us as we discuss:The iterative process of product development and adaptation to meet the evolving needs of teachers and studentsChallenges faced in scaling a startup, including balancing team size, retaining company culture, and delivering a high-quality product.Discussing the value AI brings for education.

Brian Chambers, Chief Architect at Chick-fil-A, discusses how the company uses edge computing and Kubernetes to improve customer experience. They talk about innovation processes, high availability systems, and why Kubernetes is essential for their operations.

In this best of 2023 episode, Tim Veil talks to Peter Mattis, Co-founder and CTO at Cockroach Labs.In this conversation, Peter goes way under the hood to talk about how CockroachDB is architected, how that architecture has evolved, and how the architecture will continue to evolve to make developers’ lives easier.Join us as we discuss:The origins of GIMP and early days at GoogleHow Peter built Pebble & how it compares to RocksDBLessons learned building Postgres compatibilityWhat the future of “serverless” databases will look like

As a multi-cloud expert with 100+ certifications, author of the book “Mastering Terraform on AWS”, and Director of PwC, Erol Kavas has plenty of perspective across the cloud ecosystem. Join as we discuss:Implementing cloud infrastructure and migrating legacy applications to the cloudWhat enterprises should consider before moving to multi-cloudWhy Erol fell in love with Terraform [Buy “Mastering Terraform on AWS: Automate AWS Infrastructure with Terraform using streamlined frameworks and best practices” by Erol Kavas, click here]

If you have ever tried to find a local branch of a major retailer, left a review on a product page, or talked to an on-page chatbot, you have likely interacted with the frontend of Yext’s Digital Experience Platform. But what goes into the backend for a modular and composable platform that can deliver for enterprises of all sizes? To answer this question, we sat down with Matt Bowman, VP of Software Engineering at Yext.Join as we discuss:The biggest changes in the technical landscape over the last 20 years from cloud adoption to application development.Leadership principles, hiring strategies, and advice for fostering innovation.The challenges and opportunities that come with AI.

Fivetran, the automated data movement platform, helps Fortune 500 companies transport data across different sources from point A to point B. To learn about the leading tech management and engineering triumphs that have helped them in their mission to make data simple, we sat down with the VP of Platform Engineering at Fivetran (and former Googler) Mike Gordon.Join as we discuss: The influence of accessibility on data scaling in the cloud.The impact of rapid technological advancements on data management.The crucial role of efficiency in the process of data scaling.

For the engineering team at digital analytics company Amplitude, real-time customer feedback and cutting-edge Northstar metrics play a significant role in helping them adapt their tech stack and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.To learn more about the innovative approaches at Amplitude, we sat down with their SVP of Engineering, Shadi Rostami, for a discussion on the significance of ownership, accountability, and a founder's mindset in shepherding a company's growth.Join as we discuss: Developing a growth mindset to enable a successful engineering careerShadi’s engineering principles including “ship fast with quality”How to scale platforms through informed data-driven prioritization and strategic product focus

Meg Adams has had a remarkable journey to tech leader — from special education teacher, to retail sales manager at Victoria's Secret and learning to code, to managing teams at Etsy at Condé Nast — and now, her current role as Executive Director of Platform Engineering at Estée Lauder. To learn about her approaches to leadership, the intricacies of managing cloud infrastructure and analytics, and what it takes to build powerful platforms and top-tier teams, our host David Joy catches Meg for a first-ever in-person recording. Join as we discuss:Implementing engineering best practices and testing to ensure uptime and performance on a singular platform.The pivotal shift from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud for ease of use and scalability.Career advice from Meg's incredible journey into the tech world.

Indecisiveness at the drive-through is just one of the many factors that ConverseNow’s conversational AI software for restaurants has to design for. To see what tools, programming languages, and more go into enabling a successful automated food order, we sat down with Akshay Kayastha, Senior Engineering Manager at ConverseNow.Join as we discuss:How to design systems with good customer service as the key objective.Tackling technical challenges in speech-to-text transcription such as low audio quality, background noises, and more.Building for Super Bowl scale while achieving low latency.Why Akshay’s team took a Kubernetes-first approach from Day 1.