John Kutay

Enigma
DISC Type : cdi

Director of Engineering at Rippling

Palo Alto, California, United States

Overview

John Kutay is a Data and AI Engineering Leader at Rippling, focused on building advanced AI systems. He has a deep background in data integration and serverless stream processing from his previous leadership roles at Striim. He attended the University of San Francisco, studying computer science.

Beyond his work in technology, John has a strong passion for the arts and music. He is a classically trained pianist, having studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and maintains a keen interest in the intersection of arts and the digital world.

He is the creator and host of the popular Whats New in Data podcast, where he interviews leading minds in the data and AI industries.

Personality Overview

Fast Follower

Persuasive & Assertive

Hard To Convince

They are generally strong communicators and are not easy to convince.  They are likely to ask many questions and look heavily for supporting proof as well as information. They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing

Topics They Care About

AI Engineering
His current role at Rippling involves building AI systems, and he frequently discusses topics like Generative AI and LLM Ops on his podcast.
Streaming Data
Has extensive experience from his time at Striim and often speaks on real-time data, Change Data Capture (CDC), and data mesh concepts.
Data Podcasting
He created and hosts the 'What's New in Data' podcast, which he describes as a passion project to interview top practitioners in the field.

Media Appearances

John has no verified media appearances

Work History

5-2025
Director of Engineering at Rippling
5-2025
Advisor at Striim
9-2022 - 5-2025
Director of Product & Engineering at Striim
10-2021
Mentor at GrowthMentor
8-2021
Partner & Adviser at Generation Ventures

Education

B.S. from University of San Francisco
Classical Piano from San Francisco Conservatory of Music

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 13 Location : Palo Alto, California, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Engineering at Rippling
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Insights For Selling To John

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use phrases like ‘clear evidence’, ‘data-based results’ etc.
  • Use a combination of data as well as stories for your pitch, a ppt might not be necessary
  • Build rapport slwly without rushing, it will come handy to handle hard questions later

DONT's

  • Don’t rely excessively on your relationship with them to win the deal even if you come to form one
  • Avoid making offhand commitments, understand the root of their concerns first
  • Don’t brush off any concerns, take all questions seriously. They are easily deterred

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with John is

  • Proven value, strong objective evidence are important for them, rapport can impact decisions a little.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from John

  • They are practical and friendly, but can give a clear response with a little prodding

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will John move?

  • They like to be detailed, so unless they develop strong conviction, they can take their time to arrive at decisions
  • Can John take some risk or not?

  • They evaluate their decisions systematically and do not take risks that often, unless you can get them to develop strong conviction

You And John

Personality Compatibility


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