Build your strategy in 5 minutes!Get Started

Interview with Diego Oppenheimer

by | Apr 26, 2021 | Interviews,

Diego Oppenheimer

Diego Oppenheimer

Co-Founder & CEO at Algorithmia

Key Topics:Enterprise Machine Learning/AI, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps)
Location:Seattle, United States
Bio:

Diego Oppenheimer is co-founder and CEO of Algorithmia, the enterprise MLOps platform, where he helps organisations scale and achieve their full potential through machine learning. Algorithmia puts ML models into production faster and more cost-effectively with enterprise-grade security and governance. Diego is active in AI/ML communities and works with leaders to define ML industry standards and best practices. He brings his passion for data from his time at Microsoft where he shipped some of Microsoft’s most used data analysis products including Excel, Power Pivot, SQL Server, and Power BI. Diego holds a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems and a Masters degree in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics from Carnegie Mellon University.

How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?

I’ve always had a passion for data. I did my undergraduate and graduate studies in data analytics and information systems. While I was at Microsoft I shipped data analysis products like Excel, Power Pivot, SQL Server, and Power BI. While using predictive analytics and code from Microsoft research, I saw how difficult it was to discover and productionalise models. I collaborated with my co-founder who was working on his PhD in AI, and we founded Algorithmia in 2014. We knew machine learning would be the most important technology we’d see in our lifetime, and since then have only dived deeper into learning everything we can and contributing to the industry.

What topic areas are you most passionate about?

Some topics I’m passionate about are Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Governance, Data Science, DevOps and Business Intelligence. Currently I’m most focused on DevOps, governance and security within AI/ML. Being in such a nascent space there are still a lot of best practices and standards to be established, and governance is massively important especially in areas like finance, insurance and healthcare. Along the same lines, creating community and clear information around AI and its potential is essential. We became a part of the AI Infrastructure Alliance earlier this year to create a strong foundation with other leaders to support this value.

How would you describe your offline influence?

I regularly have speaking engagements at events, on panels, or in webinars around AI/ML topics. One of my favorites is hosting more intimate executive roundtables to hear what companies are excited about and struggling with. I’m always open to a conversation around what’s new in AI/ML, where it’s going, and the value it can add. Connecting with other founders frequently is also a priority for me as a member of the startup community. I’m happy to share lessons I’ve learned on my journey as a founder and hear about others doing the same.

What’s your best source of information for getting ahead of a story? What resource do you use to stay ahead of the trend?

So far I’ve found the best way to stay ahead of the story is becoming a part of the narrative. In the space of AI/ML, we conducted our own research and surveyed over 400 leaders adopting AI/ML to help understand the current trends of AI/ML, and the story that is being built. Listening to our current and prospective customers, folks working hands on with machine learning, and hearing their pain points helps us uncover more telling information to accelerate the ways we can add value and validate what we are already seeing. I’m also a big fan of Google News and follow Hacker News and Toward Data Science. I’m active on Twitter and LinkedIn to see what’s top of mind in the communities I am a part of.

If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?

II gravitate toward speaking engagements like interviews, podcasts and webinars. I appreciate how dynamic they can be, often resulting in takeaways and observations you can’t always get from written alternatives.

What brands have you worked with?

Over 130,000 engineers and data scientists have used Algorithmia’s platform to date, including the United Nations, government intelligence agencies, and Fortune 500 companies. Some of our earliest customers include Toyota and EY. We have worked most recently with companies like DataDog, Influx DB on integrations.

Which non-paid activities would you be keen to take part in if the opportunity raised your profile or delivered value to your audience?

I would be keen to provide a quote for content or news article, share or create a social post, speak at an event, podcast, online chat or a webinar. I am also interested in co-creating long form content

What are your passions outside of work?

I’m heavily involved in the rugby and LGBTQ communities, and have played on the Seattle Quake rugby team for the past 12 years. I like weight lifting as a way to find space to think and decompress after a long day. I’m passionate about food and barbecue- I even had a Uruguayan grill set up in my house to satisfy my cravings from home.

What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?

By email.


TAGS