Originally published on Efficiently (Substack)
My name is Vinoo and I’ll be your guide, writer, and (likely) ranter throughout this series.
0. What this is
Recently, I had a friend recommend Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work. I read it over the course of a short plane ride and realized… it’s time to start showing my work. Publicly.
This blog series, at its core, is a collection of things learned while building analytical tools, creating data products, and consuming data products. Mostly, it’s intended as a technical series for technical audiences, but the direction remains uncertain.
My goal is to extract meaningful and applicable lessons from the challenges I’ve faced working in the data ecosystem and democratize the best practices I’ve learned along the way.
1. Why this, why now
The data industry experienced a golden age. Cloud migration accelerated. Organizations became data-driven. The modern data stack seemed powerful and limitless. Capital flowed freely, making expensive data platform investments seem justified.
Economic conditions shifted dramatically. Layoffs multiplied. Companies cut visible expenses — office space, travel, contractor fees, and staff. However, their compute bills are increasing by an order of magnitude year over year.
The compounding cost of clouds is an existential threat for enterprises without capital assessment mechanisms. Data practitioners who understand cost optimization methodology could literally save their companies from unexpected bills — or worse.
2. Who may benefit from this
Y Combinator recently distributed guidance to founders emphasizing cost management. This series targets anyone seeking to optimize data and technology spending during constrained periods.
3. Why me
I’ve spent over a decade working across tech and finance, building analytical tools, brokering data, and optimizing internal tech stacks. I’ve made numerous mistakes along the way, and I’ve learned from them.
4. Where I’ll start
The series will cover data storage, management, analysis, visualization, case studies, and best practices based on personal experience and industry examples.
I’m thrilled to have you join me on this journey, and I hope you’ll find value in the content we’ll be sharing.