In this episode of Gradient Dissent, host Lukas Biewald sits down with João Moura, CEO & Founder of CrewAI, one of the leading platforms enabling AI agents for enterprise applications. Joe shares insights into how AI agents are being successfully deployed in over 40% of Fortune 500 companies, what tools these agents rely on, and how software companies are adapting to an agentic world. They also discuss: What defines a true AI agent versus simple automation How AI agents are transforming busi...
Feb 25, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent , host Lukas Biewald sits down with Mike Knoop , Co-founder and CEO of Ndea , a cutting-edge AI research lab. Mike shares his journey from building Zapier into a major automation platform to diving into the frontiers of AI research. They discuss DeepSeek’s R1, OpenAI’s O-series models, and the ARC Prize , a competition aimed at advancing AI’s reasoning capabilities. Mike explains how program synthesis and deep learning must merge to create true AGI , and why h...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent , host Lukas Biewald sits down with David Cahn, partner at Sequoia Capital, for a compelling discussion on the dynamic world of AI investments. They dive into recent developments, including DeepSeek and Stargate, exploring their implications for the AI industry. Drawing from his articles, "AI's $200 Billion Question" and "AI's $600 Billion Question," David unpacks the financial challenges and opportunities surrounding AI infrastructure spending and the stagger...
Jan 28, 2025•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent , Akshay Agrawal, Co-Founder of Marimo, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss the future of collaborative AI development. They dive into how Marimo is enabling developers and researchers to collaborate seamlessly on AI projects, the challenges of scaling AI tools, and the importance of fostering open ecosystems for innovation. Akshay shares insights into building a platform that empowers teams to iterate faster and solve complex AI challenges together. Fol...
Jan 07, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Joseph E. Gonzalez, EECS Professor at UC Berkeley and Co-Founder at RunLLM, joins host Lukas Biewald to explore innovative approaches to evaluating LLMs. They discuss the concept of vibes-based evaluation, which examines not just accuracy but also the style and tone of model responses, and how Chatbot Arena has become a community-driven benchmark for open-source and commercial LLMs. Joseph shares insights on democratizing model evaluation, refining AI-human i...
Dec 17, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Julian Green, Co-founder & CEO of Brightband, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss how AI is transforming weather forecasting and climate solutions. They explore Brightband's innovative approach to using AI for extreme weather prediction, the shift from physics-based models to AI-driven forecasting, and the potential for democratizing weather data. Julian shares insights into building trust in AI for critical decisions, navigating the challenges of deep te...
Nov 26, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Jonathan Siddharth, CEO & Co-Founder of Turing, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss the path to AGI. They explore how Turing built a "developer cloud" of 3.7 million engineers to power AGI training, providing high-quality code and reasoning data to leading AI labs. Jonathan shares insights on Turing’s journey, from building coding datasets to solving enterprise AI challenges and enabling human-in-the-loop solutions. This episode offers a unique perspectiv...
Nov 07, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Guillermo Rauch, CEO & Founder of Vercel, joins host Lukas Biewald for a wide ranging discussion on how AI is changing web development and front end engineering. They discuss how Vercel’s v0 expert AI agent is generating code and UI based on simple ChatGPT-like prompts, the importance of releasing daily for AI applications, and the changing landscape of frontier model performance between open and closed models. Listen on Apple Podcasts: http://wandb.me/ap...
Oct 24, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy joins host Lukas Biewald to explore how AI is transforming enterprise data strategies. They discuss Sridhar's journey from Google to Snowflake, diving into the evolving role of foundation models, Snowflake’s AI strategy, and the challenges of scaling AI in business. Sridhar also shares his thoughts on leadership, rapid iteration, and creating meaningful AI solutions for enterprise clients. Tune in to discover how Snowflake is d...
Oct 10, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Erik Bernhardsson, CEO & Founder of Modal Labs, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss the future of machine learning infrastructure. They explore how Modal is enhancing the developer experience, handling large-scale GPU workloads, and simplifying cloud execution for data teams. If you’re into AI, data pipelines, or building robust ML systems, this episode is packed with valuable insights! 🎙 *Listen on Apple Podcasts*: http://wandb.me/apple-podcasts 🎙 *Lis...
Sep 26, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Howie Lou, CEO of Airtable, joins host Lukas Biewald to dive into Airtable's transformation from a no-code app builder to a platform capable of supporting complex AI-driven workflows. They discuss the strategic decisions that propelled Airtable's growth, the challenges of scaling AI in enterprise settings, and the future of AI in business operations. Discover how Airtable is reshaping digital transformation and why flexibility and innovation are key in today'...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Andrew Feldman, CEO of Cerebras Systems, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss the latest advancements in AI inference technology. They explore Cerebras Systems' groundbreaking new AI inference product, examining how their wafer-scale chips are setting new benchmarks in speed, accuracy, and cost efficiency. Andrew shares insights on the architectural innovations that make this possible and discusses the broader implications for AI workloads in production. This ...
Aug 27, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Kanjun Qiu, CEO and Co-founder of Imbue, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss how AI agents are transforming code generation and software development. Discover the potential impact and challenges of creating autonomous AI systems that can write and verify code and and learn about the practical research involved. ✅ *Subscribe to Weights & Biases* → https://bit.ly/45BCkYz Connect with Kanjun Qiu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanjun/ https:/...
Aug 08, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Stephen Balaban, CEO of Lambda Labs, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss the journey of scaling Lambda Labs to an impressive $400M in revenue. They explore the pivotal moments that shaped the company, the future of GPU technology, and the impact of AI data centers on the energy grid. Discover the challenges and triumphs of running a successful hardware and cloud business in the AI industry. Tune in now to explore the evolving landscape of AI hardware and clou...
Jul 25, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Jake Heller, Head of Product, CoCounsel, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss how AI is innovating legal practices and reshaping educational approaches for aspiring lawyers. From automating document review to enhancing legal research capabilities, explore the potential impact and challenges AI presents in the legal field. Whether you're a legal professional, a student, or simply curious about the future of law and technology, this conversation provides valuabl...
Jul 11, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Denis Yarats, CTO of Perplexity, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss the innovative use of AI in creating high-quality, fast search engine answers. Discover how Perplexity combines advancements in search engines and LLMs to deliver precise answers. Yarats shares insights on the technical challenges, the importance of speed, and the future of AI in search. ✅ *Subscribe to Weights & Biases* → https://bit.ly/45BCkYz 🎙 Get our podcasts on these platform...
Jun 20, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Sergiy Nesterenko, CEO of Quilter, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss the groundbreaking use of reinforcement learning in PCB design. Learn how Quilter automates the complex, manual process of creating PCBs, making it faster and more efficient. Nesterenko shares insights on the challenges and successes of integrating AI with real-world applications and discusses the future of electronic design. ✅ *Subscribe to Weights & Biases* → https://bit....
Jun 06, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Varun Mohan, Co-Founder & CEO of Codeium, joins host Lukas Biewald to discuss the transformative power of AI in coding. They explore how Codeium evolved from GPU virtualization to a widely used AI coding tool and tackled the technical challenges and future prospects of AI-assisted software development. Varun shares insights on overcoming performance and latency issues and how AI can significantly enhance engineering velocity. This episode offers an ...
May 23, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Together AI co-founder and Stanford Associate Professor Percy Liang joins host, Lukas Biewald, to discuss advancements in AI benchmarking and the pivotal role that open-source plays in AI development. He shares his development of HELM—a robust framework for evaluating language models. The discussion highlights how this framework improves transparency and effectiveness in AI benchmarks. Additionally, Percy shares insights on the pivotal role of open-source mod...
May 09, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Gradient Dissent, Isomorphic Labs Chief AI Officer Max Jaderberg, and Chief Technology Officer Sergei Yakneen join our host Lukas Biewald to discuss the advancements in biotech and drug discovery being unlocked with machine learning. With backgrounds in advanced AI research at DeepMind, Max and Sergei offer their unique insights into the challenges and successes of applying AI in a complex field like biotechnology. They share their journey at Isomorphic Labs, a company dedicat...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 🚀 Discover the cutting-edge AI hardware development for enterprises in this episode of Gradient Dissent, featuring Rodrigo Liang, CEO of SambaNova Systems. Rodrigo Liang’s journey from Oracle to founding SambaNova is a tale of innovation and determination. In this episode, Rodrigo discusses the importance of specialized hardware in unlocking AI's potential for Enterprise businesses and SambaNova's mission to deliver comprehensive AI solutions from chips to models. Explore the critic...
Apr 11, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast 🚀 This episode of Gradient Dissent welcomes Edo Liberty , the mind behind Pinecone's revolutionary vector database technolog y. As a former leader at Amazon AI Labs and Yahoo's New York lab, Edo Liberty's extensive background in AI research and development showcases the complexities behind vector databases and their essential role in enhancing AI's capabilities. Discover the pivotal moments and key decisions that have defined Pinecone's journey, learn about the different embedding strategies th...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 🚀 In this episode of Gradient Dissent, we explore the revolutionary impact of AI across industries with Clara Shih, CEO of Salesforce AI and Founder of Hearsay Systems. Dive into Salesforce AI's cutting-edge approach to customer service through AI, the importance of a trust-first strategy, and the future of AI policies and education. Learn how Salesforce empowers businesses and shapes the future with AI innovations like Prompt Builder and Copilot Studio. Whether you're an AI enthusiast, a...
Mar 14, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the newest episode of Gradient Dissent, we explore the intersecting worlds of AI and Healthcare with John Halamka, President of the Mayo Clinic Platform. Journey with us down John Halamka's remarkable path from his early tech startup days to leading innovations as the President of the Mayo Clinic Platform, one of the world's most esteemed healthcare institutions. This deep dive into AI's role in modern medicine covers the technology's evolution, its potential to redefine patient care, and the...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the newest episode of Gradient Dissent, Chelsea Finn, Assistant Professor at Stanford's Computer Science Department, discusses the forefront of robotics and machine learning. Discover her groundbreaking work, where two-armed robots learn to cook shrimp (messes included!), and discuss how robotic learning could transform student feedback in education. We'll dive into the challenges of developing humanoid and quadruped robots, explore the limitations of simulated environments and discuss why re...
Feb 15, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest episode of Gradient Dissent, Richard Socher, CEO of You.com, shares his insights on the power of AI in search. The episode focuses on how advanced language models like GPT-4 are transforming search engines and changing the way we interact with digital platforms. The discussion covers the practical applications and challenges of integrating AI into search functionality, as well as the ethical considerations and future implications of AI in our digital lives. Join us for an enlighten...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Explore the Future of Investment & Impact in AI with Host Lukas Biewald and Guests Elad Gill and Sarah Guo of the No Priors podcast. Sarah is the founder of Conviction VC, an AI-centric $100 million venture fund. Elad, a seasoned entrepreneur and startup investor, boasts an impressive portfolio in over 40 companies, each valued at $1 billion or more, and wrote the influential "High Growth Handbook." Join us for a deep dive into the nuanced world of AI, where we'll explore its broader industr...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest episode of Gradient Dissent, we explore the innovative features and impact of LlamaIndex in AI data management with Jerry Liu , CEO of LlamaIndex . Jerry shares insights on how LlamaIndex integrates diverse data formats with advanced AI technologies, addressing challenges in data retrieval, analysis, and conversational memory. We also delve into the future of AI-driven systems and LlamaIndex's role in this rapidly evolving field. This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested i...
Jan 04, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest episode of Gradient Dissent, we hear from Joseph Spisak, Product Director, Generative AI @Meta, to explore the boundless impacts of AI and its expansive role in reshaping various sectors. We delve into the intricacies of models like GPT and Llama2, their influence on user experiences, and AI's groundbreaking contributions to fields like biology, material science, and green hydrogen production through the Open Catalyst Project. The episode also examines AI's practical business...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the premiere episode of Gradient Dissent Business, we're joined by Weights & Biases co-founder Chris Van Pelt for a deep dive into the world of large language models like GPT-3.5 and GPT-4. Chris bridges his expertise as both a tech founder and AI expert, offering key strategies for startups seeking to connect with early users, and for enterprises experimenting with AI. He highlights the melding of AI and traditional web development, sharing his insights on product evolution, leadership, ...
Nov 16, 2023•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
