E14: From Google Engineer to Cockroach Labs Co-Founder -- a Conversation with Spencer Kimball

08/01/23 • 29 min

In this episode, I have the pleasure of hosting Spencer Kimball, a former Google engineer turned tech entrepreneur, and now the Co-Founder & CEO of Cockroach Labs. Spencer shares his journey from working at Google to creating his project, Viewfinder, which eventually led to the birth of CockroachDB. Spencer discusses his advice for founders as they approach the challenge of starting a company, finding co-founders, and more. We also delve into the decision to change CockroachDB's licensing to protect it from being monetized by other companies.
Highlights
[00:00] - From Google engineer to tech entrepreneur, Spencer shares his journey and the birth of his project, Viewfinder. He reveals the dream that sparked his desire for more than just a tech job at Google.
[01:02] - The struggle to find a suitable database for Viewfinder led to the creation of CockroachDB. Spencer discusses the need for a scalable, transactional, and open-source database that didn't yet exist.
[03:24] - Passion and belief are key to weathering the ups and downs of a startup. Spencer shares how a founder's vision can drive the company forward despite inevitable disappointments.
[08:53] - Finding the right co-founder is crucial. Spencer shares his advice, emphasizing the importance of shared experiences and mutual respect.
[13:09] - The need for a database that could handle rapid growth and complexity was the key insight behind Cockroach Labs. Spencer discusses how this need led to the creation of CockroachDB.
[18:40] - To protect CockroachDB from being monetized by other companies, Spencer explains the decision to change its licensing. He also discusses the challenges of balancing open source with business needs.
[20:59] - The story of Elastic serves as a cautionary tale. Spencer shares how Amazon exploited Elastic's open core business model, leading to a reevaluation of Cockroach Labs' own model.
[21:53] - The Business Source License (BSL) at Cockroach Labs provides a time period of protection from direct competition. Spencer explains how it reverts to a pure open source license after a certain term.
[26:01] - Quantum Round (Rapid-fire questions)

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Previous Episode

E13: The Evolution of Data Science with DJ Patil

Today on the podcast, I interview DJ Patil, an entrepreneur, investor, scientist and leader in public policy. The former (and first) U.S. Chief Data Scientist, DJ wrote the book on being Data Driven (literally: O'Reilly Data Driven) and now puts his knowledge to work as General Partner of Great Point Ventures.
Highlights
00:29 - Intro
[1:50] - A discussion of the “Sexiest Job in History: Data Scientist” HBR article and how data science has changed since that article's publication
[5:00] - As far as we've come with Data Science, there are still problems - DJ shares some of the problems he sees that remain and how the Data Science community helps solve them
[5:43] - We dig into the emergence of the Data Engineer as a key role due to the requirements of usable data for Data Science (cleaning, prepping, etc.)
[9:00] - Data Challenges are culture problems moreso than deployment or process challenges - it's more about how to think in the proper way and get an entire organization on the same page
[10:10] - We discuss some of the difficulties of introducing ideas into the public sphere/government and how to create strategies to overcome them
[14:44] - How the Data Community helped via "crowdsourcing" with the national Covid response
[17:52] - Building off of the Covid response, DJ explains why he's begun to think of Data Scientists as a new kind of First Responder
[19:51] - How do we make use of data in organizations and how do startups compare to enterprises when it comes to making use of data?
[25:33] - Platform/Infrastructure shifts surrounding AI, LLMs, generative AI and how the industry is responding as well as how founders can better collaborate/respond
[27:37] - Quantum Round (Rapid-fire questions)

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Next Episode

E15: Developer Productivity and the Future of Software Development -- A Conversation with Graham Thompson and Debo Ray

In this episode, we debut a new format where engineer-founders discuss key tech topics. Joined by Graham Thompson of Privacy Dynamics and Debo Ray of DevZero, we dive into modern software development. Topics include the role of developer productivity, challenges of new productivity tools and the problems that arise around data access. We also discuss the evolving role of database administrators, the shift to cloud-hosted dev environments and the impact remote development environments have on tech hiring. The episode wraps up with insights on infrastructure as code, the concept of a minimum valuable product and future trends in software development.
Highlights
[0:03] - Meet Graham Thompson, founder of Privacy Dynamics and Debo Ray, founder of DevZero, each working to revolutionize software development by improving developer productivity and experiences.
[3:22] - Unpacking the crucial role of developer productivity in tech companies and the challenges of introducing new productivity tools.
[6:31] - Exploring the evolution of database administration roles to platform engineering and its impact on setting up test environments.
[9:18] - The rise of cloud-hosted development environments: how they're slashing start times for engineers and boosting efficiency.
[10:28] - Navigating the new normal: how remote development environments are reshaping the tech hiring landscape.
[12:03] - Cloud vs. local: weighing the pros and cons of moving development to the cloud.
[16:20] - Leveraging infrastructure as code for efficient cloud management: empowering platform engineers to make more informed adjustments.
[17:37] - The power of minimum valuable product: speed and efficiency in today's market.
[20:43] - Predicting the future of the software development lifecycle and development environments.