Screaming in the Cloud

What happens when cloud economics meets the messy reality of business, AI, and human behavior?
Corey and J.R. Storment unpack why cloud cost management is less about math and more about psychology, the real difference between FinOps for AI vs. AI for FinOps, and why automation still struggles with edge cases (despite all the hype). Along the way, they explore multi-cloud complexity, the rise of consumption-based pricing, and how businesses are navigating massive, unpredictable spend across cloud, SaaS, and AI platforms.
If you’ve ever wondered why your cloud bill feels like chaos, or how to actually get value from it, this episode pulls back the curtain.

Show Highlights:
(00:00) FinOps Royalty Reunion
(03:06) Origin Stories and Naming FinOps
(06:32) AI for FinOps vs FinOps for AI
(11:05) Automation Hype and Human Psychology
(22:16) Contracts Multi Cloud and Commitments
(24:26) Context Beats Optimization
(26:06) Trust and Billing Clarity
(28:14) Focus Standard Flywheel
(30:11) SaaS Coverage and Conformance
(34:06) Contracts Multi-cloud and Wrap Up

Links:
FinOps: https://www.finops.org/
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com

In this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, host Corey Quinn sits down with Roi Lipman, CTO and co-founder of Falco DB, to unpack the evolving role of graph databases in a world overflowing with data stores. Roi shares his journey from building RedisGraph at Redis to spinning it out into Falco DB, along with his enduring love of the C programming language (dad jokes included). The conversation explores why graph databases remain niche, but powerful, especially for pathfinding problems like supply chains and access management, how vector search became a feature rather than a standalone database, and what AI-assisted development means for modern engineering. Along the way, they tackle open source sustainability, Rust rewrites, AI-generated pull request chaos, and the looming question of where the next generation of senior engineers will come from.

Highlights: 
(00:00) C Language
(00:27) Welcome
(01:18) Database Landscape Overview
(03:17) Why Graph Databases Matter
(07:25) AI Built Apps and Data Choices
(10:29) How FalcoDB Fits In
(12:20) Vector Search as a Feature
(16:48) FalcoDB Origin Story
(19:54) Open Source Business and Rust Rewrite
(25:23) Toy Graph Problems and Closing Thoughts
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com

This week on Screaming in the Cloud, Corey sits down with Chris Hill, CEO of Humble Pod, to talk about the messy, nuanced reality of AI in media. From secretly cloning Corey’s voice for an ad using ElevenLabs (and almost getting away with it) to the growing tension between polished production and authentic content, they unpack what AI can actually do versus what it claims to do.
They explore the shifting economics of podcasting, the rise of video-first formats, Netflix’s entrance into the space, and why “good enough” production often beats expensive studio perfection. It’s a candid conversation about trust, automation, creative integrity, and why sometimes the most dangerous AI use case is the one no one notices.
Show Highlights:
(00:00) The AI Voice Clone Ad Nobody Noticed
(00:44) 700 Episodes In: Catching Up with Humble Pod’s Chris Hill
(01:16) New Studio, New Vibes: Building a Podcast Space in Tennessee
(01:51) AI in Podcasting Workflows: Riverside, Editing Promises & Human Judgment
(07:50) Authenticity vs Production Value + Duckbill Hiring & Product Shift
(14:05) Renewals, churn, and why point solutions fail
(14:15) The Doc Tools saga: building the wrong thing (and Disney lawyers)
(15:15) Bahamas studio build: consulting where quality really matters
(16:34) Gear talk & pro tips: teleprompters, cameras, and looking at the lens
(18:50) Podcasting goes video-first: clips, discovery, TikTok, and the wrap-up
About Chris Hill:
Chris Hill is a Knoxville, TN native and founder of Humble Pod, where he helps brands, startups, and thought leaders develop, launch, and grow podcasts across the U.S. and beyond. He works with clients ranging from local Knoxville businesses to entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and around the world.
Chris is the co-host and producer of Our Humble Beer Podcast and lectures on podcasting and marketing at the University of Tennessee. He earned his undergraduate degree in Marketing & Entrepreneurship from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and later received his MBA from King University.
He currently serves as President of the American Marketing Association Knoxville chapter and enjoys supporting the local craft beer community, traveling internationally, and exploring the outdoors.
Links: 
Humblepod: https://www.humblepod.com/
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com

Eric Anderson, partner at VC firm Scale, talks about why coding agents changed software forever and why the AI bubble can't be avoided. Eric worked on Spot Instances at AWS and data products at Google before becoming a VC. He explains how companies can still compete against Anthropic and OpenAI by staying laser-focused instead of fighting on every front.
Corey and Eric discuss why AWS didn’t kill all startups even when they launched competing products, why the AI bubble can't be avoided when companies go from $1 billion to $7 billion in revenue in one year, and why the best AI products don't scream “AI” everywhere in their marketing.
Show Highlights:
(02:30) Building Spot Instances at AWS
(07:41) Why Coding Agents Changed Everything
(10:35) Agents Doing Code Review Now
(13:53) Competing with Frontier Labs
(17:05) Why AWS Didn’t Kill All Startups
(19:01) Finding the Right Front to Fight On
(22:20) Why the Bubble Is Inevitable
(23:36) AI Pricing Will Eventually Crash
(26:33) Honeycomb’s AI Done Right
(28:04) Where to Find Eric
Links:
Scale: https://www.scalevp.com/
Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmand/
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com

Chase Douglas, CEO at Archodex, talks about AI security problems and why re:Invent has become a nightmare. Chase helps companies capture every AI interaction so they don't get in trouble with compliance. Corey and Chase discuss Shadow AI, why Corey runs Claude Code in an account called “Superfund,” and how re:Invent put metal spikes on benches so people couldn't sit down. They also talk about why AWS released fewer announcement than before, and why Chase is finally optimistic about AI coding tools after months of frustration.

Show Highlights: 
(01:51) What Archodex Does
(07:00) The Superfund Account for AI
(08:19) Shadow AI Problem
(11:41) What Happened at re:Invent 
(14:59) Sponsorship Costs at re:Invent
(17:00) Metal Spikes on Benches
(21:39) AWS Releases Declining 
(25:24) Why Chase Is Finally Optimistic About AI Coding
(27:13) Code Review Changed with AI
(31:22) Where to Find Chase
Links:
Archodex: https://archodex.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedouglas/
Sponsored by:
duckbillhq.com