Vik

Why Overvaluing Industry Experience Limits Innovation in Data Leadership

A senior exec once asked me whether my experience with streaming vs. batch processing and customer data platforms “really translates” across industries. On the surface, it’s a fair question. But it reveals a hiring mindset that quietly constrains many companies: the belief that industry experience is the primary predictor of leadership success. The Illusion of Uniqueness Every leadership team thinks their industry is uniquely complex. Sometimes that’s true. Regulatory nuance in healthcare, trading rules in …

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Data Teams Are Not Service Teams

Over time, a lot of data teams drift into a pattern that’s hard to break out of. They become ticket takers, constantly responding to requests, pulling data for one-off questions, fixing dashboards, and explaining why numbers don’t match. It feels helpful at first. But eventually, the work starts to pile up, context starts to disappear, and the team is mostly reacting instead of building anything meaningful. The service model becomes the default, and that’s a …

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Why Business Context Is a Force Multiplier for Technical People

Most technical people — whether they’re building software, managing infrastructure, designing data pipelines, or optimizing algorithms — focus heavily on mastering the tools and frameworks of their craft. That makes sense; strong technical skills are the foundation of the role. But there’s a hidden force that can dramatically amplify the impact of those skills: deep understanding of the business context. When a technical professional understands why the business operates the way it does, the technical work changes. Decisions …

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Why a SaaS Tool Won’t Implement Itself

We’ve all been there. An organization is stuck in legacy, processes are inefficient, and it takes an army of people to get things don. The solution? Buy a tool. And not just any tool — a SaaS product with a sleek interface, strong G2/Gartner reviews, and a demo that makes the future look like it will build itself. Contracts are signed. Seats are provisioned. Invites are sent. Then, weeks go by and very little changes. …

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Build vs. Buy in the Age of AI Coding Assistants

For most of my career, the build vs. buy decision in software has leaned heavily toward buy, especially in the enterprise. It is understandable. Buy is faster. Buy is safer. Buy comes with support, training, and a roadmap. But lately, I have been rethinking that bias. More accurately, AI coding assistants are forcing me to. Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and others have fundamentally shifted the landscape. We are entering a world where build is no longer …

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