E25 [DEEP DIVE]: How Metric Trees Are Transforming Businesses with Vijay Subramanian

08/05/24 • 27 min

In this episode, we introduce a new format for the podcast—a deep dive into a technical topic with an engineer-founder who is an expert on the subject. For our first Deep Dive, I sit down with Vijay Subramanian, the visionary behind Trace, to explore the evolution and future of metric layers in business metrics and cross-functional alignment.
Vijay demystifies the concept of metrics layers, metric trees and semantic layers, explaining their components, functionality and crucial role in today’s tech-driven environment, while also clarifying the differences between each concept. We discuss how metrics layers drive organizational transformation, standardize processes and are being utilized by tech giants like Uber and Airbnb to optimize data modeling and business operations. Vijay also emphasizes the need for data analysts to adopt an operational mindset and highlights the transformative role of AI in data analysis, particularly generative AI’s potential to revolutionize business data interpretation and storytelling.
Highlights:
[1:23] - Vijay defines metric layers, metric trees and semantic layers, distinguishing between each and discussing why they’re important
[5:21] - We discuss how the world was introduced to the idea of a metrics layer and why it was important
[8:15] - We analyze what made the hyper-scalers (Airbnb, Uber, DoorDash) get excited about the idea of a metrics layer at around the same time and Vijay shares where the market stands now in adopting metric layers
[13:09] - Vijay digs specifically into metric trees, what they are and where they’re useful and shares more about his decision to build his company, Trace, around the concept of metric trees
[17:09] - We discuss build vs. buy and what led to Vijay’s bet that companies were not going to build their own solution internally
[21:50] - Vijay expands on how metric trees can bridge the gap between technical teams and business teams within an organization
[25:20] - A quick discussion on how the rise of generative AI impacts this space

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Previous Episode

E24: Self-Taught to Startup Success: The Unconventional Path of InfluxDB's Paul Dix

In this episode, I sit down with Paul Dix, the founder and CTO of InfluxData to explore his journey from a self-taught programmer to a leader in database systems. We discuss his role in building the NYC Machine Learning meetup, the creation of InfluxDB and the strategic move to make it open source. He shares insights into the decision to rewrite InfluxDB in 2020 and the power of community in tech development. We also touch on his transition from CEO to CTO and his advice for founders on making business-driven decisions. This discussion left me inspired and excited for the future of InfluxData.
Highlights:
[00:48] - Paul shares his circuitous route towards getting to school after working in technology directly out of high school
[04:41] - Getting involved with Ruby meetups and developing applications on Rails
[05:50] - Paul talks about his motivation behind starting the New York Machine Learning meetup
[09:22] - We dive into how Paul's early experiences translated into what he built with InfluxDB
[15:08] - Paul shares how InfluxDB has approached open source and, later, commercialization, including how they've navigated challenges presented by the cloud providers
[21:57] - Paul talks through some of the changes they’ve made to InfluxDB recently and what motivated those changes
[27:40] - Digging into how the Influx team has taken a different approach to open source over the last few years
[28:42] - Paul shares advice for engineer-founders considering CEO vs. CTO roles

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Next Episode

E26: Balancing Open Source and Business with Spencer Kimball (Cockroach Labs)

In this new episode of the 0P podcast, we welcome back Spencer Kimball, co-founder and CEO of Cockroach Labs, to discuss the evolving landscape of software licensing in the cloud era. Spencer shares insights on how companies are innovating with new licensing models to bridge the gap between open source ideals and sustainable business growth.

Drawing from his experience leading Cockroach Labs, a distributed database company, he offers a unique perspective on finding equilibrium between community collaboration and commercial success.

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