Brought to You By: •⁠ WorkOS — The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS. •⁠ Statsig ⁠ — ⁠ The unified platform for flags, analytics, experiments, and more. • Sonar —  Code quality and code security for ALL code. — In this episode of The Pragmatic Engineer, I sit down with Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta, to break down how venture capital and startups themselves are changing. We go deep on the numbers: why fewer companies are getting funded despite record VC investment levels, how hiring has shifted dramatically since 2021, and why solo founders are on the rise even though most VCs still prefer teams. We also unpack the growing emphasis on ARR per FTE, what actually happens in bridge and down rounds, and why the time between fundraising rounds has stretched far beyond the old 18-month cycle. We cover what all this means for engineers: what to ask before joining a startup, how to interpret valuation trends, and what kind of advisor roles startups are actually looking for. If you work at a startup, are considering joining one, or just want a clearer picture of how venture-backed companies operate today, this episode is for you. — Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:21) How venture capital works and the goal of VC-backed startups (03:10) Venture vs. non-venture backed businesses  (05:59) Why venture-backed companies prioritize growth over profitability (09:46) A look at the current health of venture capital  (13:19) The hiring slowdown at startups (16:00) ARR per FTE: The new metric VCs care about (21:50) Priced seed rounds vs. SAFEs  (24:48) Why some founders are incentivized to raise at high valuations (29:31) What a bridge round is and why they can signal trouble (33:15) Down rounds and how optics can make or break startups  (36:47) Why working at startups offers more ownership and learning (37:47) What the data shows about raising money in the summer (41:45) The length of time it takes to close a VC deal (44:29) How AI is reshaping startup formation, team size, and funding trends (48:11) Why VCs don’t like solo founders (50:06) How employee equity (ESOPs) work (53:50) Why acquisition payouts are often smaller than employees expect (55:06) Deep tech vs. software startups: (57:25) Startup advisors: What they do, how much equity they get (1:02:08) Why time between rounds is increasing and what that means (1:03:57) Why it’s getting harder to get from Seed to Series A  (1:06:47) A case for quitting (sometimes)  (1:11:40) How to evaluate a startup before joining as an engineer (1:13:22) The skills engineers need to thrive in a startup environment (1:16:04) Rapid fire round — The Pragmatic Engineer deepdives relevant for this episode:

— See the transcript and other references from the episode at ⁠⁠https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/podcast⁠⁠ — Production and marketing by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://penname.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

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Whether it's to adhere to regulations, access markets by meeting specific standards, or devise data analytics and AI strategies, companies today are busy implementing metadata repositories—metadata tools about the IT, data, information, and knowledge in your company. Until now, most of these repositories have been implemented in isolation from one another, but that practice lies at the core of problems with data management in many companies today. Author Ole Olesen-Bagneux, chief evangelist at Actian, shows you how to masterfully manage your metadata repositories by properly coordinating them. That requires a data discovery team to increase insights for all key players in enterprise data management, from the CIO and CDO to enterprise and data architects. Coordinating these repositories will help you and your organization democratize data and excel at data management. This book shows you how. Learn what metadata repositories are and what they do Explore which data to represent in these repositories Set up a data discovery team to make data searchable Learn how to manage and coordinate repositories in a meta grid Increase innovation by setting up a functional data marketplace Make information security and data protection more robust Gain a deeper understanding of your company IT landscape Activate real enterprise architecture based on evidence

This book is your guide to the modern market of data analytics platforms and the benefits of using Snowflake, the data warehouse built for the cloud. As organizations increasingly rely on modern cloud data platforms, the core of any analytics framework—the data warehouse—is more important than ever. This updated 2nd edition ensures you are ready to make the most of the industry’s leading data warehouse. This book will onboard you to Snowflake and present best practices for deploying and using the Snowflake data warehouse. The book also covers modern analytics architecture, integration with leading analytics software such as Matillion ETL, Tableau, and Databricks, and migration scenarios for on-premises legacy data warehouses. This new edition includes expanded coverage of SnowPark for developing complex data applications, an introduction to managing large datasets with Apache Iceberg tables, and instructions for creating interactive data applications using Streamlit, ensuring readers are equipped with the latest advancements in Snowflake's capabilities. What You Will Learn Master key functionalities of Snowflake Set up security and access with cluster Bulk load data into Snowflake using the COPY command Migrate from a legacy data warehouse to Snowflake Integrate the Snowflake data platform with modern business intelligence (BI) and data integration tools Manage large datasets with Apache Iceberg Tables Implement continuous data loading with Snowpipe and Dynamic Tables Who This Book Is For Data professionals, business analysts, IT administrators, and existing or potential Snowflake users

Day 2 shifts into high gear for builders. This keynote sets the stage for a deep dive into MCP implementation, showcasing how to move from proof-of-concept to production-ready MCP servers. Learn the essential building blocks—Azure Functions, API Management, and security best practices—that power scalable MCP solutions. We'll demonstrate prompt-driven development workflows, explore real-world architectures, and reveal how leading organizations are already shipping MCP-powered features. Whether you're building for the enterprise or the edge, this session provides the blueprint for creating secure, scalable MCP servers that transform AI agents from demos into deployed solutions. Get ready to build.

As organizations increasingly leverage Microsoft Fabric to unify their data engineering, analytics, and governance strategies, the role of the Fabric Analytics Engineer has become more crucial than ever. This book equips readers with the knowledge and hands-on skills required to excel in this domain and pass the DP-600 certification exam confidently. This book covers the entire certification syllabus with clarity and depth, beginning with an overview of Microsoft Fabric. You will gain an understanding of the platform’s architecture and how it integrates with data and AI workloads to provide a unified analytics solution. You will then delve into implementing a data warehouse in Microsoft Fabric, exploring techniques to ingest, transform, and store data efficiently. Next, you will learn how to work with semantic models in Microsoft Fabric, enabling them to create intuitive, meaningful data representations for visualization and reporting. Then, you will focus on administration and governance in Microsoft Fabric, emphasizing best practices for security, compliance, and efficient management of analytics solutions. Lastly, you will find detailed practice tests and exam strategies along with supplementary materials to reinforce key concepts. After reading the book, you will have the background and capability to learn the skills and concepts necessary both to pass the DP-600 exam and become a confident Fabric Analytics Engineer. What You Will Learn A complete understanding of all DP-600 certification exam objectives and requirements Key concepts and terminology related to Microsoft Fabric Analytics Step-by-step preparation for successfully passing the DP-600 certification exam Insights into exam structure, question patterns, and strategies for tackling challenging sections Confidence in demonstrating skills validated by the Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate credential Who This Book Is For ​​​​​​​Data engineers, analysts, and professionals with some experience in data engineering or analytics, seeking to expand their knowledge of Microsoft Fabric

As AI models become more powerful, the companies building them are facing more powerful adversaries. As AI approaches human level, we expect various risks, but it would be particularly bad if malicious actors got their hands on unprotected versions of extremely intelligent models. To prevent that, AI companies in the future will need to be secured against the strongest adversaries, which global policy think tank RAND refers to as Security Level 5 (SL5) adversaries. The SL5 Task Force team is developing plans and prototypes for how to achieve this level of security, under the assumption that we don’t have time to wait for financial incentives to align. Berlin-based AI researcher and aisafety.berlin organiser Guy will share some of his work in the Task Force and answer questions.

Supported by Our Partners •⁠ WorkOS — The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS. •⁠ Statsig ⁠ — ⁠ The unified platform for flags, analytics, experiments, and more. •⁠ Sonar — Code quality and code security for ALL code. — Steve Yegge⁠ is known for his writing and “rants”, including the famous “Google Platforms Rant” and the evergreen “Get that job at Google” post. He spent 7 years at Amazon and 13 at Google, as well as some time at Grab before briefly retiring from tech. Now out of retirement, he’s building AI developer tools at Sourcegraph—drawn back by the excitement of working with LLMs. He’s currently writing the book Vibe Coding: Building Production-Grade Software With GenAI, Chat, Agents, and Beyond. In this episode of The Pragmatic Engineer, I sat down with Steve in Seattle to talk about why Google consistently failed at building platforms, why AI coding feels easy but is hard to master, and why a new role, the AI Fixer, is emerging. We also dig into why he’s so energized by today’s AI tools, and how they’re changing the way software gets built. We also discuss:  • The “interview anti-loop” at Google and the problems with interviews • An inside look at how Amazon operated in the early days before microservices   • What Steve liked about working at Grab • Reflecting on the Google platforms rant and why Steve thinks Google is still terrible at building platforms • Why Steve came out of retirement • The emerging role of the “AI Fixer” in engineering teams • How AI-assisted coding is deceptively simple, but extremely difficult to steer • Steve’s advice for using AI coding tools and overcoming common challenges • Predictions about the future of developer productivity • A case for AI creating a real meritocracy  • And much more! — Timestamps (00:00) Intro (04:55) An explanation of the interview anti-loop at Google and the shortcomings of interviews (07:44) Work trials and why entry-level jobs aren’t posted for big tech companies (09:50) An overview of the difficult process of landing a job as a software engineer (15:48) Steve’s thoughts on Grab and why he loved it (20:22) Insights from the Google platforms rant that was picked up by TechCrunch (27:44) The impact of the Google platforms rant (29:40) What Steve discovered about print ads not working for Google  (31:48) What went wrong with Google+ and Wave (35:04) How Amazon has changed and what Google is doing wrong (42:50) Why Steve came out of retirement  (45:16) Insights from “the death of the junior developer” and the impact of AI (53:20) The new role Steve predicts will emerge  (54:52) Changing business cycles (56:08) Steve’s new book about vibe coding and Gergely’s experience  (59:24) Reasons people struggle with AI tools (1:02:36) What will developer productivity look like in the future (1:05:10) The cost of using coding agents  (1:07:08) Steve’s advice for vibe coding (1:09:42) How Steve used AI tools to work on his game Wyvern  (1:15:00) Why Steve thinks there will actually be more jobs for developers  (1:18:29) A comparison between game engines and AI tools (1:21:13) Why you need to learn AI now (1:30:08) Rapid fire round — The Pragmatic Engineer deepdives relevant for this episode: •⁠ The full circle of developer productivity with Steve Yegge •⁠ Inside Amazon’s engineering culture •⁠ Vibe coding as a software engineer •⁠ AI engineering in the real world •⁠ The AI Engineering stack •⁠ Inside Sourcegraph’s engineering culture— See the transcript and other references from the episode at ⁠⁠https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/podcast⁠⁠ — Production and marketing by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://penname.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

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Dive into advanced reasoning, multi-agent coordination, tool chaining, self-healing workflows, and emerging security challenges.

Dive into advanced reasoning, multi-agent coordination, tool chaining, self-healing workflows, and emerging security challenges.

Dive into advanced reasoning, multi-agent coordination, tool chaining, self-healing workflows, and emerging security challenges.

In the open-source community, the security of software packages is a critical concern since it constitutes a significant portion of the global digital infrastructure. This BoF session will focus on the supply chain security of open-source software in scientific computing. We aim to bring together maintainers and contributors of scientific Python packages to discuss current security practices, identify common vulnerabilities, and explore tools and strategies to enhance the security of the ecosystem. Join us to share your experiences, challenges, and ideas on fortifying our open-source projects against potential threats and ensuring the integrity of scientific research.

Deliver flexible, scalable, and high-performance data storage that's perfect for AI and other modern applications with MongoDB 8.0 and MongoDB Atlas multi-cloud data platform. In MongoDB 8.0 in Action, Third Edition you'll find comprehensive coverage of the latest version of MongoDB 8.0 and the MongoDB Atlas multi-cloud data platform. Learn to utilize MongoDB’s flexible schema design for data modeling, scale applications effectively using advanced sharding features, integrate full-text and vector-based semantic search, and more. This totally revised new edition delivers engaging hands-on tutorials and examples that put MongoDB into action! In MongoDB 8.0 in Action, Third Edition you'll: Master new features in MongoDB 8.0 Create your first, free Atlas cluster using the Atlas CLI Design scalable NoSQL databases with effective data modeling techniques Master Vector Search for building GenAI-driven applications Utilize advanced search capabilities in MongoDB Atlas, including full-text search Build Event-Driven Applications with Atlas Stream Processing Deploy and manage MongoDB Atlas clusters both locally and in the cloud using the Atlas CLI Leverage the Atlas SQL interface for familiar SQL querying Use MongoDB Atlas Online Archive for efficient data management Establish robust security practices including encryption Master backup and restore strategies Optimize database performance and identify slow queries MongoDB 8.0 in Action, Third Edition offers a clear, easy-to-understand introduction to everything in MongoDB 8.0 and MongoDB Atlas—including new advanced features such as embedded config servers in sharded clusters, or moving an unsharded collection to a different shard. The book also covers Atlas stream processing, full text search, and vector search capabilities for generative AI applications. Each chapter is packed with tips, tricks, and practical examples you can quickly apply to your projects, whether you're brand new to MongoDB or looking to get up to speed with the latest version. About the Technology MongoDB is the database of choice for storing structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data like business documents and other text and image files. MongoDB 8.0 introduces a range of exciting new features—from sharding improvements that simplify the management of distributed data, to performance enhancements that stay resilient under heavy workloads. Plus, MongoDB Atlas brings vector search and full-text search features that support AI-powered applications. About the Book MongoDB 8.0 in Action, Third Edition you’ll learn how to take advantage of all the new features of MongoDB 8.0, including the powerful MongoDB Atlas multi-cloud data platform. You’ll start with the basics of setting up and managing a document database. Then, you’ll learn how to use MongoDB for AI-driven applications, implement advanced stream processing, and optimize performance with improved indexing and query handling. Hands-on projects like creating a RAG-based chatbot and building an aggregation pipeline mean you’ll really put MongoDB into action! What's Inside The new features in MongoDB 8.0 Get familiar with MongoDB’s Atlas cloud platform Utilizing sharding enhancements Using vector-based search technologies Full-text search capabilities for efficient text indexing and querying About the Reader For developers and DBAs of all levels. No prior experience with MongoDB required. About the Author Arek Borucki is a MongoDB Champion, certified MongoDB and MongoDB Atlas administrator with expertise in distributed systems, NoSQL databases, and Kubernetes. Quotes An excellent resource with real-world examples and best practices to design, optimize, and scale modern applications. - Advait Patel, Broadcom Essential MongoDB resource. Covers new features such as full-text search, vector search, AI, and RAG applications. - Juan Roy, Credit Suisse Reflects author’s practical experience and clear teaching style. It’s packed with real-world examples and up-to-date insights. - Rajesh Nair, MongoDB Champion & community leader This book will definitely make you a MongoDB star! - Vinicios Wentz, JP Morgan & Chase Co.

Supported by Our Partners •⁠ WorkOS — The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS. •⁠ Statsig ⁠ — ⁠ The unified platform for flags, analytics, experiments, and more. • Sonar —  Code quality and code security for ALL code.  — What happens when a company goes all in on AI? At Shopify, engineers are expected to utilize AI tools, and they’ve been doing so for longer than most. Thanks to early access to models from GitHub Copilot, OpenAI, and Anthropic, the company has had a head start in figuring out what works. In this live episode from LDX3 in London, I spoke with Farhan Thawar, VP of Engineering, about how Shopify is building with AI across the entire stack. We cover the company’s internal LLM proxy, its policy of unlimited token usage, and how interns help push the boundaries of what’s possible. In this episode, we cover: • How Shopify works closely with AI labs • The story behind Shopify’s recent Code Red • How non-engineering teams are using Cursor for vibecoding • Tobi Lütke’s viral memo and Shopify’s expectations around AI • A look inside Shopify’s LLM proxy—used for privacy, token tracking, and more • Why Shopify places no limit on AI token spending  • Why AI-first isn’t about reducing headcount—and why Shopify is hiring 1,000 interns • How Shopify’s engineering department operates and what’s changed since adopting AI tooling • Farhan’s advice for integrating AI into your workflow • And much more! — Timestamps (00:00) Intro (02:07) Shopify’s philosophy: “hire smart people and pair with them on problems” (06:22) How Shopify works with top AI labs  (08:50) The recent Code Red at Shopify (10:47) How Shopify became early users of GitHub Copilot and their pivot to trying multiple tools (12:49) The surprising ways non-engineering teams at Shopify are using Cursor (14:53) Why you have to understand code to submit a PR at Shopify (16:42) AI tools' impact on SaaS  (19:50) Tobi Lütke’s AI memo (21:46) Shopify’s LLM proxy and how they protect their privacy (23:00) How Shopify utilizes MCPs (26:59) Why AI tools aren’t the place to pinch pennies (30:02) Farhan’s projects and favorite AI tools (32:50) Why AI-first isn’t about freezing headcount and the value of hiring interns (36:20) How Shopify’s engineering department operates, including internal tools (40:31) Why Shopify added coding interviews for director-level and above hires (43:40) What has changed since Spotify added AI tooling  (44:40) Farhan’s advice for implementing AI tools — The Pragmatic Engineer deepdives relevant for this episode: • How Shopify built its Live Globe for Black Friday • Inside Shopify's leveling split • Real-world engineering challenges: building Cursor • How Anthropic built Artifacts — See the transcript and other references from the episode at ⁠⁠https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/podcast⁠⁠ — Production and marketing by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://penname.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

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Featured speaker at GenerationAI 2025

Security teams often face alert fatigue from massive volumes of raw log data. This session demonstrates how to combine Apache Airflow, Wazuh, and LLMs to build automated pipelines for smarter threat triage—grounded in the MITRE ATT&CK framework. We’ll explore how Airflow can orchestrate a full workflow: ingesting Wazuh alerts, using LLMs to summarize log events, matching behavior to ATT&CK tactics and techniques, and generating enriched incident summaries. With AI-powered interpretation layered on top of structured threat intelligence, teams can reduce manual effort while increasing context and clarity. You’ll learn how to build modular DAGs that automate: • Parsing and routing Wazuh alerts, • Querying LLMs for human-readable summaries, • Mapping IOCs to ATT&CK using vector similarity or prompt templates, • Outputting structured threat reports for analysts. The session includes a real-world example integrating open-source tools and public ATT&CK data, and will provide reusable components for rapid adoption. If you’re a SecOps engineer or ML practitioner in cybersecurity, this talk gives you a practical blueprint to deploy intelligent, scalable threat automation.

Airflow 3.0 is the most significant release in the project’s history, and brings a better user experience, stronger security, and the ability to run tasks anywhere, at any time. In this workshop, you’ll get hands-on experience with the new release and learn how to leverage new features like DAG versioning, backfills, data assets, and a new react-based UI. Whether you’re writing traditional ELT/ETL pipelines or complex ML and GenAI workflows, you’ll learn how Airflow 3 will make your day-to-day work smoother and your pipelines even more flexible. This workshop is suitable for intermediate to advanced Airflow users. Beginning users should consider taking the Airflow fundamentals course on the Astronomer Academy before attending this workshop.

Operating within the stringent regulatory landscape of Corporate Banking, Deutsche Bank relies heavily on robust data orchestration. This session explores how Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Bank leverages Apache Airflow across diverse environments, including both on-premises infrastructure and cloud platforms. Discover their approach to managing critical data & analytics workflows, encompassing areas like regulatory reporting, data integration and complex data processing pipelines. Gain insights into the architectural patterns and operational best practices employed to ensure compliance, security, and scalability when running Airflow at scale in a highly regulated, hybrid setting.

MWAA is an AWS-managed service that simplifies the deployment and maintenance of the open-source Apache Airflow data orchestration platform. MWAA has recently introduced several new features to enhance the experience for data engineering teams. Features such as Graceful Worker Replacement Strategy that enable seamless MWAA environment updates with zero downtime, IPv6 support, and in place minor Airflow Version Downgrade are some of the many new improvements MWAA has brought to their users in 2025. Last, but not the least, the release of Airflow 3.0 support brings the latest open-source features introducing a new web-server UI, better isolation and security for environments. These enhancements demonstrate Amazon’s continued investment in making Airflow more accessible and scalable for enterprises through the MWAA service.

MWAA is an AWS-managed service that simplifies the deployment and maintenance of the open-source Apache Airflow data orchestration platform. MWAA has recently introduced several new features to enhance the experience for data engineering teams. Features such as Graceful Worker Replacement Strategy that enable seamless MWAA environment updates with zero downtime, IPv6 support, and in place minor Airflow Version Downgrade are some of the many new improvements MWAA has brought to their users in 2025. Last, but not the least, the release of Airflow 3.0 support brings the latest open-source features introducing a new web-server UI, better isolation and security for environments. These enhancements demonstrate Amazon’s continued investment in making Airflow more accessible and scalable for enterprises through the MWAA service.

This session details practical strategies for introducing Apache Airflow in strict, compliance-heavy organizations. Learn how on-premise deployment and hybrid tooling can help modernize legacy workflows when public cloud solutions and container technologies are restricted. Discover how cross-platform engineering teams can collaborate securely using CI/CD bridges, and what it takes to meet rigorous security and governance standards. Key lessons address navigating resistance to change, achieving production sign-off, and avoiding common compliance pitfalls, relevant to anyone automating in public sector settings.