Most companies still rely on dashboards to understand their data, even though AI now offers new ways to ask questions and explore information. Barry McCardel, CEO of Hex and former engineer at Palantir, joins a16z General Partner Sarah Wang to discuss how agent workflows, conversational interfaces, and context-aware models are reshaping analysis. Barry also explains how Hex aims to make everyone a data person by unifying analysis and AI in one workflow, and he reflects on his post about getting rid of their AI product team and the process behind Hex’s funny launch videos. Timecodes: 0:00 – The problem with dashboards 1:20 – The evolution of data teams and AI’s role 2:05 – Democratizing data: challenges and opportunities 3:45 – The rise of agentive workflows 9:48 – Threads and the changing UI of data analysis 13:16 – Building AI agents: lessons from the notebook agent 16:12 – Model capabilities and the future of AI in data 19:10 – The importance of context and trust in data analysis 24:34 – Semantic models and context engineering 29:27 – Data team roles in the age of AI 31:52 – Accuracy, trust, and evaluating AI systems 37:43 – Building Hex: embracing AI as core, not an add-on 48:48 – Pricing, value capture, and the future of SaaS 55:55 – The modern data stack and industry consolidation 1:04:26 – Acquisitions and owning the data insight layer 1:06:46 – Lessons from Palantir: forward-deployed engineering 1:13:11 – Commitment engineering and customer collaboration 1:17:25 – Brand, launch videos, and having fun in SaaS Resources: Follow Barry McCardel on X: https://x.com/barrald Follow Sarah Wang on X: https://x.com/sarahdingwang Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details, please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. Check out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here , including articles, projects, and more podcasts. Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
