Unapologetically Technical Episode 17 – Semih Salihoglu

Blog Summary: (AI Summaries by Summarizes)
  • Frances Perry, Head of Engineering at Mother Duck, shares insights from her 16 years at Google and discusses challenges and rewards of scaling engineering teams.
  • The conversation explores the future of data processing with DuckDB and Mother Duck, emphasizing the potential of single-node databases and more efficient data solutions.
  • Frances Perry highlights perspectives on leadership, mentorship, and creating a more inclusive tech industry.
  • Lessons learned about building user-friendly software, understanding customer needs, and balancing innovation with practicality are discussed.
  • Frances Perry's experience as an engineering manager and former coder at Google provides valuable insights into distributed systems and cloud technologies.

In this episode of Unapologetically Technical, I interview Semih Salihoglu, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo and co-founder and CEO of Kuzu. Semih is a researcher and entrepreneur with a background in distributed systems and databases.

He shares his journey from a small city in Turkey to the hallowed halls of Yale University, where he studied computer science and economics. This path led him to a formative experience as a software engineer at Google in New York City, providing him with crucial industry insights. He then pursued his doctoral studies at Stanford University, delving into the complexities of database systems. Ultimately, he found his academic home at the University of Waterloo, where he now serves as an Associate Professor, shaping the next generation of computer scientists and continuing his innovative research.

We delve into the architecture of Kuzu, an embedded graph database designed for high performance, exploring its unique storage format, query planning techniques like Sideway Information Passing (SIP), and the rationale behind its schema-based approach. Semih explains how Kuzu addresses the challenges of large graph analytics, the benefits of embeddability, and its potential for applications in AI and beyond. Discover the insights he gained from academia and industry, his perspective on the future of data processing and the story behind building a next-generation graph database.

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Frequently Asked Questions (AI FAQ by Summarizes)

What insights does Frances Perry share from her 16 years at Google?

Frances Perry, Head of Engineering at Mother Duck, shares insights from her 16 years at Google and discusses challenges and rewards of scaling engineering teams.

What is emphasized in the conversation about the future of data processing with DuckDB and Mother Duck?

The conversation explores the future of data processing with DuckDB and Mother Duck, emphasizing the potential of single-node databases and more efficient data solutions.

What perspectives does Frances Perry highlight on leadership, mentorship, and inclusivity in the tech industry?

Frances Perry highlights perspectives on leadership, mentorship, and creating a more inclusive tech industry.

What lessons are discussed regarding building user-friendly software and balancing innovation with practicality?

Lessons learned about building user-friendly software, understanding customer needs, and balancing innovation with practicality are discussed.

What valuable insights does Frances Perry provide into distributed systems and cloud technologies?

Frances Perry's experience as an engineering manager and former coder at Google provides valuable insights into distributed systems and cloud technologies.

Where can one find the latest episodes of Unapologetically Technical?

Subscribe to the YouTube channel for the latest episodes of Unapologetically Technical.

What expertise does Frances Perry showcase in data processing?

Frances Perry's background in developing Flume and Cloud Dataflow at Google showcases her expertise in data processing.

What is highlighted as a key trend in the industry regarding data solutions?

The shift towards smaller, more efficient data solutions is highlighted as a key trend in the industry.

What is Frances Perry's perspective on the balance between innovation and practicality in tech development?

Frances Perry's perspective on the delicate balance between innovation and practicality in tech development is insightful.

What topics are covered in the interview with Frances Perry regarding tech environments and mentorship?

The interview with Frances Perry delves into the importance of creating inclusive tech environments and fostering mentorship.

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