Send us a text Welcome to the cozy corner of the tech world where ones and zeros mingle with casual chit-chat. Datatopics Unplugged is your go-to spot for relaxed discussions around tech, news, data, and society. In this episode, we’re joined by a special guest: Alex Gallego, founder and CEO of Red Panda. Together, we dive deep into building data-intensive applications, the evolution of streaming technologies, and balancing high throughput and low latency demands.  Key topics covered: What is Red Panda and why it matters: Red Panda’s mission to redefine data streaming while being the fastest Kafka-compatible option on the market.Batch vs. streaming data: An accessible guide to understanding the classic debate and how the tech landscape is shifting towards unified data frameworks.Scaling at speed: The challenges and innovations driving Red Panda’s performance optimizations, from zero-copy architecture to storage engines.AI, ML, and streaming data integration: How Red Panda empowers real-time machine learning and AI-powered workloads with ease.Open source vs. enterprise models: Navigating licensing challenges and balancing business goals in the hybrid cloud era.Leadership and career shifts: Alex’s reflections on moving from technical lead to CEO, blending engineering know-how with company vision.