2# Mike Driscoll (Co-founder: Metamarkets, Rill, Data Collective VC) on Building for AI Analysts and the New Analytics Skillset

In this episode of Knowledge Distillation, Katrin Ribant talks with Mike Driscoll – co-founder and CEO of Rill Data and co-inventor of Apache Druid. Mike reflects on the early days of big data, the birth of real-time analytics, and what it meant to be an analyst in 2010. Together, they explore how today’s challenges have shifted from scale to maintaining analytical context across complex workflows. Mike discusses the rise of more technical, code-native analysts and how AI agents are transforming the way data teams operate. He shares why data engineering remains a superpower and how analysts can upscale to thrive as orchestrators of AI-driven processes. The episode offers a forward-looking view on the “AI analyst” skill set and the future of self-serve analytics. All episodes on our website: www.ask-y.ai/knowledge-distillation-podcast Learn more about ASK-Y: www.ask-y.ai