Redpanda CEO on Why Streaming Data Powers the Future of Agentic AI

Episode notes

How do AI agents safely access the data they need without exposing the business to risk? In this episode, I speak with Alex Gallego, CEO and founder of Redpanda, about why streaming data is becoming such an important foundation for enterprise AI. Redpanda began as a high-performance streaming data platform, but the company is now building what it calls the Agentic Data Plane, a governed access layer designed to connect AI agents with enterprise data and systems. Alex shares the story behind Redpanda's journey, from solving a personal engineering frustration to powering mission-grade systems for some of the world's largest organizations. We discuss why many enterprises are racing toward agentic AI while still lacking the permissions, controls, context, and observability needed to make agents safe in production. One of the standout moments in our conversation is Alex's comparison between hiring AI agents and forgetting to onboard them.

• How zeb Rebuilt Consulting Around AI With Substrate65 / 100
• How Precisely Is Closing the AI Data Integrity Gap67 / 100
• The API Security Crisis Exposed By Akamai's State Of The Internet Report64 / 100
• How Sinch Sees AI Triggering The Biggest Communication Shift Since SMS
• How GlobalFoundries Keeps Semiconductor Production Running 24/7