In this engaging episode of the JUXT Cast, Jeremy Taylor and Malcolm Sparks sit down with Ryan Robitaille, the founder of Rabbit. Ryan shares his unique journey—from working with Oracle systems as a young Solutions Engineer to becoming a creative force in the world of data visualization.
Ryan explores his experience building Rabbit, a tool designed to bridge the gap between proprietary BI tools and custom-built engineering solutions. Frustrated by the limitations of traditional tools like Tableau, Ryan envisioned a platform that offers the “best of both worlds”: the simplicity of drag-and-drop dashboards with the power and flexibility of live coding and version control.
Key Takeaways from the Episode:
- The Origins of Rabbit: How Ryan’s passion for combining artistry and data engineering sparked the creation of a platform that feels like a “game engine for data.”
- Balancing Build vs. Buy: Insights into the perpetual organizational dilemma of purchasing BI tools versus building in-house solutions.
- Clojure’s Role: How Clojure and its philosophy of “code is data” played a pivotal role in Rabbit’s architecture and flexibility.
- The Tableau Experience: Ryan reflects on Tableau’s transformative early days and where the tool has hit its limits.
- Empowering End-Users: Why Ryan believes tools should offer a low bar for entry but a high ceiling for complexity. With fascinating anecdotes and deep technical insights, this episode sheds light on how data platforms can evolve to empower creativity, transparency, and collaboration.
Watch the full episode here:
Addendum
This JUXT Cast episode is also available as a podcast across all your favourite platforms.
Happy listening!
