Databricks is one of the most valuable private AI companies in the world, but what exactly does it do and why are investors paying so much attention? In this episode, co founder Arsalan Tavakoli explains why enterprise AI is becoming the next major battleground, how companies are trying to rein in soaring AI costs, and why the winners may not be the companies building the biggest models. We also discuss the competitive race between OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and open source AI, plus why Databricks believes its biggest opportunity is still ahead. Finally, Arsalan shares his thoughts on the company&#x27;s eventual IPO and what needs to happen before it goes public.

How Databricks Became One of the World's Most Valuable AI Companies

The Rundown

Welcome back to The Rundown, Interview Edition. Today, I am talking to Arsalan Tavakoli, one of the co-founders of Databricks. Now, this is a little bit different from our usual guests because Databricks is a private company, meaning you can't buy their stock. But it's one of the most valuable private companies in the world, last valued at $134 billion. And Databricks is quietly powering the AI behind something like 70% of the Fortune 500 companies out there.

So in today's conversation with Ursuline, we get into what Databricks actually does, their new AI agent called Genie One, the absolutely insane AI bills that some companies are racking up and how Databricks is helping to solve that, and his thoughts on what roles the model companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google will play in the future of AI. And of course, we also talk about IPO plans. This was a really fun one. I think you guys are going to love it. So let's get into it.

All right, guys. Today, we are talking to Arsalan Tavakoli, the co-founder and senior vice president of field engineering at Databricks. Arsalan, welcome to the rundown. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. I'm super excited for today's conversation. You know, we mostly cover publicly traded companies on this podcast. So I imagine a lot of our audience might not be familiar with Databricks. So for the people that aren't familiar, can you give us a brief recap on what Databricks does?

And imagine that I'm like a 62-year-old uncle at Thanksgiving, and I'm in a slight food coma. So if you can explain to me what Databricks does, I'd really appreciate it. In a slight food coma.

How Databricks Became One of the World's Most Valuable AI Companies

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

How Databricks Became One of the World's Most Valuable AI Companies

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.