Robert Love

Excited to share that I was interviewed by FSR magazine to talk about Fishbowl GRM and how we’re helping restaurants better understand their guests and connect all their data in one place! 🎉 In today’s competitive landscape, knowing your guests and creating personalized experiences is more important than ever. Fishbowl GRM empowers restaurants to not only gather insights but also turn them into meaningful actions that drive loyalty and revenue. Huge thanks to FSR Magazine for the opportunity to share how we’re making this happen. Check out the article to learn more about how Fishbowl is transforming guest engagement for restaurants! #RestaurantTech #GuestEngagement #DataDrivenDecisions #RestaurantMarketing #HospitalityInnovation #GuestLoyalty #RestaurantSuccess #PersonalizedMarketing #FishbowlGRM

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Coming out of AWS Re:Invent last month was an announcement of a deepening of the relationship between AWS and Anthropic. A key component of the announcement was an additional $4B investment, so total of $8B invested by Amazon. The agreement provides Anthropic with access to Trainium accelerator hardware and a partnership with AWS Labs to work on future hardware initiatives. AWS is really spreading it bets out with GenAI. They announced a whole new family of Amazon models called Nova (RIP Titan?) and continue to offer a best-in-class LLM zoo via Bedrock (missing only OpenAI which is locked down by MSFT). MSFT appears to be pretty tightly coupled to OpenAI (for now) while Google Vertex has a similar LLM gateway solution. I think the biggest gap in the AWS offering is a pre-packaged Enterprise solution similar to the ChatGPT Enterprise offering being used by JPMC and others. The Sagemaker and Bedrock solutions are still DIY for Enterprise customers, great for flexibility but missing some of the speed to market of the pre-packaged offerings. Amazon Lex feels largely abandoned. The home page features videos from 2021 and 2022. That's forever ago in AI years. Where is the Nova GPT store? Thoughts? #AWS #Amazon #GenAI

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DoorDash grew to over 19 thousand employees worldwide and supported 550,000 restaurants in 2023. They saw a 62% reduction in overall memory usage, from 298 GB of RAM to 112GB and a 65% reduction in CPU use from 208 CPUs to 72 per 10 million reads per second. Read more about how they're improving their CX utilizing Redis underneath the hood! https://lnkd.in/g7gGZJAb

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It has taken a while to write up my notes from Kafka Summit. I spoke with ~200 people over 2 days and had some great conversations. There were many topics, but these 4 were the most common by far: 1. Operational Analytics 2. Event Driven Architectures 3. Unified ETL with Apache Flink 4. Automation and Data as Code/Config (DaC) Here's the write up: https://lnkd.in/ekhBFB3f Curious to hear what other themes folks found? #kafka #kafkasummit

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Oso makes this look easy. Historically you either put all of your data into your auth system which is easy, but creates availability and privacy issues, or else you distribute your data which was scalable and secure, but leads to spaghetti authorization logic and complexity for developers. Such a nice balance here. The CAP theorem of authorization?!

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Just a few weeks after the GA release of Arm64 runners, we’re already seeing our clients achieve noticeable reductions in build times and lower runtime costs. If you're looking to scale your CI/CD operations and accelerate feedback loops, now is the time to explore the benefits of Arm64! Key takeaways: - ⚡ Faster build times to streamline development. - 💰 Cost savings through optimized runtimes. Ready to take your CI/CD to the next level? #CI/CD #Arm64 #DevOps #BuildOptimization #CostEfficiency #ContinuousIntegration target: https://lnkd.in/gY-_n6JJ

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I call BS on this one. This is likely less about #AI and more about a market manipulation / hype train with an upcoming IPO. AI doesn't (yet) solve these complex workflows with an intuitive UI that #SalesForce and #Workday offer. What does everyone think? #cto #saas

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If you are working with Docker... I highly recommend looking at the Slim toolkit. https://lnkd.in/gX_Gb9Kf Why? Slim allows developers to inspect, optimize, and debug their containers using its xray, lint, build, debug, run, images, merge, registry, vulnerability (and other) commands. It simplifies and improves your developer experience building, customizing and using containers. It makes your containers better, smaller and more secure while providing advanced visibility and improved usability working with the original and minified containers. Don't change anything in your container image; minify it by up to 30x to make it secure, too! Optimizing images isn't the only thing it can do, though. It can also help you understand and author better container images. Keep doing what you are doing. No need to change anything. Use the base image you want. Use the package manager you want. Don't worry about hand-optimizing your Dockerfile. You shouldn't have to throw away your tools and your workflow to have small container images. Node.js application images: from ubuntu:14.04 - 432MB => 14MB (minified by 30.85X) from debian:jessie - 406MB => 25.1MB (minified by 16.21X) from node:alpine - 66.7MB => 34.7MB (minified by 1.92X) from node:distroless - 72.7MB => 39.7MB (minified by 1.83X) Go application images: from golang:latest - 700MB => 1.56MB (minified by 448.76X) from ubuntu:14.04 - 531MB => 1.87MB (minified by 284.10X) from golang:alpine - 258MB => 1.56MB (minified by 165.61X) from centos:7 - 615MB => 1.87MB (minified by 329.14X) Rust application images: from rust:1.31 - 2GB => 14MB (minified by 147.16X) Java application images: from ubuntu:14.04 - 743.6 MB => 100.3 MB

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GM’s recent decision regarding Cruise highlights a fundamental misunderstanding of how startups—and the journey from zero to one—actually work. When GM acquired Cruise, it was a scrappy team still in the process of finding product-market fit. But GM had a different vision: rapid scaling. That’s why billions were invested and bold predictions about thousands of robotaxis by 2020 were made back in 2016-2017. The problem? True innovation requires mastering the basics before scaling. Skipping this step turns a promising venture into a financial drain on the parent company, especially in cyclical industries like automotive manufacturing. And in tougher economic climates, such missteps become even harder to sustain. This is a reminder of why the foundational phase of any startup is critical—it’s not just about big bets; it’s about getting the fundamentals right first. More details here: https://lnkd.in/em4awrxV #autonomousvehicles #startups #zerotoone

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I’m stuck with 3 year H100 reserved instances that I don’t need anymore. What can I do? If you’re on AWS, there is a RI marketplace where you can put your RIs up for sale as long as you’re okay with the fees and limits: - listing fee is 12% - term granularity is months - $50K limit or ~ 2 months for H100 What if you could put your H100 RI up for sale on-demand by the min or hour when not in use? Get paid for it by other users on AWS until you need it again and they will be preempted gracefully (ie: they won’t lose their work or training progress, continues to run on your machine or someone else’s machine when not in use). If this is interesting please leave a comment or shoot me a DM…working on enabling this level of flexibility. If you’re using GPUs via reserved instances please like or repost this to your network. I’d also love to hear your experiences and painpoints via a comment below or DM.

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Team Circle shows (and tells) how devs can build onchain payment UX with $USDC and secure enterprise grade Programmable wallets. Real applications. Real use cases. Happening now. We are SO gonna make it!!

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Have you reduced overhead by 99% on any meaningful back office task since the launch of AI? Well, why not? Apparently, Amazon has. The interesting thing about this new technology is that it shows the jobs most at risk are things like coding, where there is a clear, quantifiable feedback loop between action and result. But adoption is going to be the challenge. Honestly, a lot of small businesses don't even know how to do basic things like mail merge. Even my peers at large companies with better-than-average technical skills have barely used these AI tools. So far, I've reduced several back office tasks by 80% through the at least partial use of AI. It's amazing how powerful this technology can be.

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✱ 3 Lessons IT Leaders Can Learn from Watch Duty Metrics to Improve Product Ownership ✱ The current wildfires in Los Angeles have destroyed and continue to destroy many neighborhoods. I cannot even imagine the effort required to rebuild—my thoughts are with those impacted. Since the start of the fire, I have been spending a lot of time on the Watch Duty App. While on their site, I read their blog (link in the comments) on how they managed their costs. This line captured my eye: “Today, we’re proud to share that we’ve driven our operating cost down to $0.34 per active user (1.5x less than last year) — so every dollar you contribute helps more than two people gain access to critical life-saving information.” This insight from the Watch Duty application offers valuable lessons that IT leaders can apply to the products they manage. Lesson 1: Instrument your product costs into your product. Identify and instrument your infrastructure costs into the product—from the start. This approach allows you to measure your infrastructure costs accurately and set user/cost ratio targets that can be lowered or sustained as the product grows. Lesson 2: Monitor how technical debt inflates costs. Compensating for technical debt often involves adding temporary fixes or processes that increase operational costs. By quantifying this impact, you can prioritize addressing debt before it becomes a significant drain on resources. Lesson 3: Choose technology that scales with your user base. Not all technologies are created equal when it comes to scalability. Strategic technology choices early in development can prevent costs from growing at the same rate as your user base, preserving profitability as your product scales. Start Small, Aim Big: While achieving 100% traceability in enterprise products is challenging, begin with measurable areas. In my experience, managing the cost/benefit ratio as a clear metric has driven better outcomes for the products I’ve led. Please contact me if any technology-related projects are needed for recovery efforts. I would like to help And if you’re interested in leveling up cost metrics for your IT products,  DM me to create a roadmap for success.

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U.S. digital bank Chime is launching a product that will allow customers to access up to $500 of their wages before payday, the latest move by a financial technology company to enter the fast-growing "earned wage access" market. The product, which will be rolled out in coming months, comes as Chime is preparing to become a public company in the "not too distant future," CEO Chris Britt said in an interview with Reuters. #chime #neobank #us #digitalbank #reuters #fintech #fintechnews #kostyuchenok

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If you're wondering, 'Tacos again, Matt?' the answer is 'yep.' Because, honestly, they continue to be a great way to think about the interplay between human factors, optimization, and guac-to-sour-cream ratios. So here's the second installment in my series on the things a well run taco restaurant can teach us about efficient complex systems (which is also a sneak peek into the kinds of problems we're solving at Fixify and—hopefully—a helpful way to think about some of your own complex-systems quandaries, too.) https://lnkd.in/e48K257N

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The innovators dilemma… Today's news about the AWS CEO stepping down highlights the challenge large companies face trying to stay on top… According to reports, Adam Selipsky's departure may have been influenced by AWS missing the boat on generative AI. Passing up on early investment opportunities in leading startups like Anthropic. One would think with all the money and resources at the firms disposal…how clidl they not spot this trend sooner? It’s called the innovators dilemma… As firms grow and become more established, it can be increasingly difficult to innovate as they often prioritize incremental improvements over disruptive innovations, which are seen as too risky. Ultimately missing opportunities…. Companies need to be willing to risk even at the cost of failing. They should; - Prioritize research and experimentation FOR disruption. Focus on how to cannibalize the own business, not just improve it… - Be willing to pivot and adjust plans when faced with issues or changing market conditions. Don’t see the pivot as a failure. All learning is valuable… - Don't pass on investments or partnerships that could drive growth and innovation even if the ROI isn’t immediately known… Innovation isn’t a guarantee. But without it, there is. Leadership need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable in making a decision today that “may” pan out in the future. That’s the only way one stays competitive. #innovation #leadership #aws #generativeAI #competitiveness #growthmindset

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I find it hard to disagree with much in Andy Jassy's note here. I love the flexibility to not have to be in the office every day, but also thought most of us had that before covid. Modeling, learning, and building the shared language of teams is much easier to do in person. There are teams of high functioning individuals that can work effectively remotely (I've been part of several), but despite new technology, that's still the exception. The relevant portion: "To [better] invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other and our culture to deliver the absolute best for customers and the business, we’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID. When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant. I’ve previously explained these benefits (February 2023 post), but in summary, we’ve observed that it’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another. If anything, the last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits. "Before the pandemic, not everybody was in the office five days a week, every week. If you or your child were sick, if you had some sort of house emergency, if you were on the road seeing customers or partners, if you needed a day or two to finish coding in a more isolated environment, people worked remotely. This was understood, and will be moving forward as well. But, before the pandemic, it was not a given that folks could work remotely two days a week, and that will also be true moving forward—our expectation is that people will be in the office outside of extenuating circumstances (like the ones mentioned above) or if you already have a Remote Work Exception approved through your s-team leader. "We are also going to bring back assigned desk arrangements in locations that were previously organized that way, including the U.S. headquarters locations (Puget Sound and Arlington). For locations that had agile desk arrangements before the pandemic, including much of Europe, we will continue to operate that way."

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Compensation data is not just numbers on a spreadsheet; it’s the backbone of organizational trust, employee retention, and competitive positioning. At Complete (YC W22), we have nailed down one thing that most startups and engineering teams struggle with — building a ✨magical product✨ quickly without compromising on security and privacy. So we made security and privacy our core. Large enterprises rely on platforms like Complete and entrust us with their most critical compensation and leveling data. Security and privacy aren’t just features we tack on—they are integral to every aspect of our software development process. It’s a core value for us because not every company chooses to work this way. I wrote a post on this topic last month (link in comments) — to summarize, there are three core areas that we’ve focused on from Day 1: → 🛠️ Best-in-Class Security Tools: We’re leveraging industry-leading tools to meet standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001 (coming soon!). Personally, I’ve become a huge fan of Vanta over the past few months. → 🔐 Intuitive Roles and Permissions: Beyond the core model, we’ve invested heavily in making these features user-friendly, including the ability to verify configurations through impersonation. → 🙅 Focus on Workflows, Not Data Aggregation: Unlike our competitors, we prioritize workflows over data aggregation/benchmarking. It's hard to guarantee data security when selling data is what pays the bills 🙂 Speed to ship with same-day turnarounds on smaller features and delighters are a prerequisite for startups to succeed — we hire best-in-class engineers who can do that while building and improving a secure architectural foundation. Sound like the right environment for you? We’re continuing to grow our engineering team (we've doubled this year!) and I would love to hear from you.

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