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The Winning Formula: Human Ingenuity Meets Software Development
From pioneering “Moneyball” sports analytics to uncovering the stories of forgotten heroes through AI, Ari Kaplan has spent his career at the intersection of data, software, and human insight. As the creator of the Chicago Cubs analytics department and a data strategist in Formula 1, Ari brings a unique perspective on how technology and creativity combine to shape outcomes both on and off the field. His data-driven investigative work was featured in a 2025 film narrated by Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis.
In this keynote, Ari shares first-hand experiences that highlight how collaboration between humans and data leads to extraordinary results. He explores how analytics at scale, rapid experimentation, and continuous innovation are redefining performance across industries. Attendees will gain an inspiring perspective on how developers can stay ahead by embracing curiosity, collaboration, and the power of data-driven thinking.
What You Will Learn
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How data, AI, and human creativity combine to drive innovation
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Lessons from applying software development to sports and large-scale analytics
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How developers can adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing, data-first world
Who Should Attend
Developers, data scientists, software engineers, and technology leaders interested in the intersection of analytics, AI, and human ingenuity.
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About the speaker
Ari Kaplan
Head of Evangelism, Databricks
Ari is Databrick's Global Head of Evangelism, and a leading influencer in AI, databases, and sports analytics. “The Real Moneyball guy”, the popular movie was partly based on Ari’s analytical and scouting experiences innovating Major League Baseball, and later creating the Cubs and Dodgers analytics departments. He is President of the Independent Investigation into the Fate of Raoul Wallenberg, Sweden's humanitarian hero. His background in data includes having been President of the worldwide Oracle users group when they acquired MySQL, Java, and Peoplesoft. He traveled the world with McLaren Formula 1, assisting the racing strategy team to bring AI models to production. Ari was named Caltech’s “Alumni of the Decade”, Crain Chicago’s “40 Under 40”, and IBM’s “Data Science Celebrity”, and the History Channel made a documentary on one of Kaplan’s analytical investigations.
