From High School Suspension to US Chief Data Scientist | DJ Patil

From High School Suspension to US Chief Data Scientist | DJ Patil

Author: Ronak Nathani, Guang Yang March 5, 2024 Duration: 1:05:08

Known for coining the term "Data Scientist", DJ is a renowned technologist with a diverse background spanning academia, industry, and government. Having led product teams at companies like RelateIQ and LinkedIn, DJ was appointed by President Obama to be the first U.S. Chief Data Scientist where his efforts led to the establishment of nearly 40 Chief Data Officer roles across the Federal government, new health care programs as well as new criminal justice reforms. We discuss:

  • "Dream in years, plan in months, evaluate in weeks, ship daily"

  • High school misadventures that shaped DJ's world view

  • Under-hyped opportunities in AI

  • Building with the customer vs. "if you build it, they will come"

  • Do we need more regulations on AI?

  • Much more.

 

Segments:

[0:01:48] Picking locks in high school.

[0:07:15] How can we make it easier for others to take a risk on us?

[0:11:29] How do you decide whom to take a chance on?

[0:14:24] The 70-20-10 framework for choosing what to work on.

[0:17:49] "No rules, only guidelines."

[0:24:09] Developing personal ethics.

[0:30:52] Building with the customer versus "if you build it, they will come."

[0:34:51] "Dream in years, plan in months, evaluate in weeks, ship daily."

[0:43:56] Ideas should be considered in terms of momentum.

[0:46:11] Under-hyped trends in AI?

[0:51:53] How does AI need to evolve to operate in fields that require very low margins of error?

[0:56:09] Concerning advances that lack sufficient guardrails?

[0:58:55] Do we need more regulations on AI?

[1:02:48] "Failure is the only option."

 

Show Notes:

 

Stay in touch:

👋 Make Ronak's day by leaving us a review and let us know who we should talk to next! hello@softwaremisadventures.com


Behind every line of code, there's a person with a story, and that's where Software Misadventures finds its pulse. Hosts Ronak Nathani and Guang Yang pull up a chair with engineers, founders, and investors, but the conversation rarely stays in the technical manual. Instead, it wanders into the human territory of career detours, hard-won insights, and those unpredictable stumbles that often teach the most. This podcast is built on the idea that the journey is just as important as the destination, especially in the fast-moving tech world. You'll hear guests recount the projects that went sideways, the decisions they'd rethink, and the moments of clarity that emerged from the chaos. It’s a refreshingly honest look at the industry, emphasizing that expertise isn't just about what you build, but what you learn when things don't go as planned. Tune in for conversations that are less about perfect solutions and more about the real, sometimes messy, process of creating with technology. Each episode offers a blend of professional wisdom and personal narrative, making it a compelling listen for anyone curious about the lives woven into our digital landscape.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 55

Software Misadventures
Podcast Episodes
Building Diverse Engineering Teams | Erica Lockheimer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:22
Erica is a former VP of Engineering at LinkedIn. Having almost dropped out of college, Erica's journey in tech is a testament to her perseverance and dedication. In addition to leading engineering teams at LinkedIn, Eric…
Stories behind building HashiCorp | Mitchell Hashimoto [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:01
Mitchell co-founded HashiCorp in 2012 and created many important infrastructure tools, such as Terraform, Vagrant, Packer, and Consul. In addition to being a prolific engineer, Mitchell grew HashiCorp into a multi-billio…
Open sourcing LinkedIn's Derived Data Platform | Felix GV (LinkedIn) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:09
What's it like to open source an internal project at a big tech company like LinkedIn? When should a company open source a project and what are the benefits and challenges that come along with it? If you want to open sou…