EPISODE · Feb 13, 2026 · 1H 6M
EP 79: Hussein Shel from AWS
from Energy Bytes · host collide.
Hussein Shel, CTO and head of business development for energy and utilities at Amazon Web Services, joins Bobby and John to talk about his journey from Chevron engineer to cloud technology leader. They explore how AI coding tools are changing the game for energy companies, why the barrier to entry for building apps has never been lower, and what it means when your reservoir engineer can now spin up their own solutions in minutes instead of months. Hussein shares why he thinks we're only scratching the surface of what's possible when you combine domain expertise with modern AI tools, discusses the cultural shifts needed for energy companies to move fast, and explains why he's both excited about AI's potential and concerned about its massive energy demands.If you’re into energy tech, you’re in the right place. John and Bobby have built a deep catalog of conversations with the minds modernizing energy inside companies like AWS, Snowflake, Devon Energy, and more. Listen to the full library on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch at https://collide.io/community.Click here to watch a video of this episode.Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.ioClick here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 - Welcome and introductions03:14 - Early AI experiments and low-code tools08:11 - Core principles that haven't changed12:04 - Managing costs and governance15:15 - Data access and shadow IT17:16 - Building apps in weeks vs months19:25 - Domain-specific foundation models21:10 - AWS infrastructure and energy footprint26:21 - Custom silicon and partnerships29:11 - Current AI model landscape33:36 - Enterprise adoption challenges38:58 - Cultural change from the top42:06 - Scoping problems and quick wins46:16 - Legacy systems and technical debt52:18 - Building AI-first energy companies56:57 - Tech debt acceleration1:00:04 - Speed round and favorite spotshttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters
What this episode covers
Hussein Shel, CTO and head of business development for energy and utilities at Amazon Web Services, joins Bobby and John to talk about his journey from Chevron engineer to cloud technology leader. They explore how AI coding tools are changing the game for energy companies, why the barrier to entry for building apps has never been lower, and what it means when your reservoir engineer can now spin up their own solutions in minutes instead of months. Hussein shares why he thinks we're only scratching the surface of what's possible when you combine domain expertise with modern AI tools, discusses the cultural shifts needed for energy companies to move fast, and explains why he's both excited about AI's potential and concerned about its massive energy demands.If you’re into energy tech, you’re in the right place. John and Bobby have built a deep catalog of conversations with the minds modernizing energy inside companies like AWS, Snowflake, Devon Energy, and more. Listen to the full library on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch at https://collide.io/community.Click here to watch a video of this episode.Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.ioClick here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 - Welcome and introductions03:14 - Early AI experiments and low-code tools08:11 - Core principles that haven't changed12:04 - Managing costs and governance15:15 - Data access and shadow IT17:16 - Building apps in weeks vs months19:25 - Domain-specific foundation models21:10 - AWS infrastructure and energy footprint26:21 - Custom silicon and partnerships29:11 - Current AI model landscape33:36 - Enterprise adoption challenges38:58 - Cultural change from the top42:06 - Scoping problems and quick wins46:16 - Legacy systems and technical debt52:18 - Building AI-first energy companies56:57 - Tech debt acceleration1:00:04 - Speed round and favorite spotshttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters
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EP 79: Hussein Shel from AWS
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