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A Google Data Cloud Leader's Formula for Token-Efficient AI

For most enterprises, autonomous AI agents still feel like a risk waiting to happen. Andi Gutmans, Vice President and General Manager for Data Cloud at Google, joins Cindi Howson to explain what it takes to build the data foundation that trustworthy agentic AI depends on. He breaks down how organizations can finally activate the 90 percent of enterprise data that's unstructured, why tokenmaxxing is the wrong way to measure AI value, and how open standards like Apache Iceberg are helping leaders tear down fragmented, multi-cloud data silos and unify data across clouds.

Why Token-Maxxing Is the Wrong Way to Measure AI Success

Silicon Valley has been measuring AI success by token consumption. The more tokens, the more AI transformation. Right? Wrong. Andi Gutmans, Vice President and General Manager for Data Cloud at Google, joins Cindi Howson on the podcast to share that the best context is the context that drives the outcomes you need with the least amount of tokens and processing. Efficiency, not volume, is where the real value is.

Stop Saying "Data Governance." Say This Instead.

Stop saying "Data Governance." Start saying Data Enablement. If your team thinks governance is just red tape, you’re doing it wrong. True governance is a foundation of accountability that ensures high-quality data flows everywhere. Bring your team along on the journey. Show them that a little bit of process right now means they get to make decisions faster and better tomorrow. Trust the data. Speed up the business. Learn more from Swire Coca-Cola's Bharathi Rajan on podcast.

The Single Metric That Decides If Your SaaS Survives

The SaaS purge is here, and it’s survival of the fittest. On the latest, Joshua McKenzie (@elmosoftware) drops a harsh reality check: If your software isn’t the ultimate "system of record," your customers are already plotting to build over you. If you're just a pretty interface, you're replaceable.

The 3 Simple Questions Tech VPs Wish You'd Ask

Managing a $3 BILLION supply chain comes down to just 3 simple questions... @swirecoca-colausa6473’s VP of Data, Bharathi Rajan, reveals why you need to ditch the complex frameworks and AI hype before you try to scale. ThoughtSpot’s Cindi Howson drops the ultimate truth bomb: Stop waiting for "perfect" infrastructure. Use what you have today to win. Tune in to for the full blueprint! Music: “The Clermont” by Flash Fluharty Licensed via PremiumBeat, ID: P9IHFMDYNZCKLEFZ.

Welcome to the Era of Action: A Message from Ketan Karkhanis

ThoughtSpot has been named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms. We’re celebrating this milestone while building for tomorrow, as we shift from the Era of Reporting into the Era of Action. Hear a message from our CEO Ketan Karkhanis on what this shift means for our customers and partners, and how companies can win in this next era of AI BI.

ThoughtSpot June Release: Customize Your Agent

Check out what’s new in ThoughtSpot’s latest release! SpotterModel gets smarter: Build complex data models with AI formula suggestions and instant version rollbacks if you make a mistake. No stress, no lost work. Spotter Instructions: Fully customize Spotter’s persona, formatting rules, and strict guardrails. It says exactly what you want it to say—and nothing it shouldn't. Ad Hoc Analysis: Drop local files directly into Spotter for instant answers, or blend them safely with your governed enterprise data.

Spotter Enhancements

Spotter just got smarter and more in your control. You can now customize your agent's name, persona, output formatting, and guardrails to dictate exactly how it should (and shouldn't) handle data. Set it once, in plain language, and every user across the organization gets a configured, governed Spotter. Other new features include: Ad-hoc file analysis: Upload any flat file directly into Spotter and start asking questions instantly, solo or blended with your governed data.

The internal war over who owns AI.

There is a massive boardroom fight happening right now over who gets to control AI. Should it be IT? A centralized lab? The executives? Boris Rabkin from Ligentia drops a truth bomb: AI belongs wherever value is actually created. If your AI strategy is locked inside an isolated corporate lab instead of in the hands of your product, engineering, and customer teams, it’s going to fail. Full episode out now!