Founder stories from the world of Data and AI The Growth Playbook: Data & AI S4 | E20 | Enterprise Data is Broken. Here's What's Next with Ethan Ding Co-Founder @ TextQL - ThinkData Podcast

Episode 20

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Published on:

23rd Jul 2026

S4 | E20 | Enterprise Data is Broken. Here's What's Next with Ethan Ding Co-Founder @ TextQL

Enterprise data has never been more valuable, yet most companies still struggle to answer simple business questions.

This week, I sat down with Ethan Ding, Co-Founder and CEO of TextQL, to discuss why traditional analytics tools weren't built for the age of AI, how autonomous agents are changing enterprise infrastructure, and what happens when AI starts generating thousands of queries where humans once generated dozens.

We discuss:

• Why today's BI tools are reaching their limits

• The biggest technical challenges behind enterprise AI

• How TextQL is rethinking the modern data warehouse

• Why data analysts aren't disappearing—but their jobs are changing

• Finding product-market fit in one of AI's most competitive markets

• What enterprise software looks like over the next five years

If you're building, investing in, or buying AI products, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

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About the Podcast

ThinkData Podcast
The Growth Playbook: Data & AI
The Growth Playbook brings you inside the minds of the leaders shaping Data and AI. Each episode, we sit down with some of the most interesting voices in the industry, from startup founders to seasoned execs, to hear their stories, lessons learned, and the real strategies behind growing great businesses.

About your host

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Alex Hutchings

I’m the Co-Founder of the Dataworks Group, a specialist talent partner in the world of Data and Artificial Intelligence.

I’ve spent the last 15+ years working at the heart of this space, helping some of the most exciting companies on the planet build world-class Data and AI teams.

Through our roundtables, live events, and right here on the ThinkData Podcast, my goal is simple: to bring you real insights from the fastest-growing talent market in the world.

Whether you’re building, hiring, or just curious about what’s next, you’ll hear straight from the founders and senior leaders shaping the future of work.