Florian Douetteau founded Dataiku in 2013 with a contrarian thesis: enterprise AI transformation must come from business operators, not centralized data science teams. While Silicon Valley built for tech companies, Dataiku built the translation layer between fragmented IT infrastructure and the business users who understand actual enterprise processes. With over $850 million raised, $350 million in ARR, and 700+ enterprise customers including 25% of the Fortune 500, Dataiku positioned itself as the permanent infrastructure layer—the glue that remains stable while data platforms churn every 2-3 years. In this episode of Unicorn Builders, Florian explains why retention comes from AI project velocity rather than platform stickiness, how they compete by sitting above infrastructure vendors like Snowflake and Databricks, and why the ”GPT-8 will solve everything” worldview fundamentally misunderstands enterprise requirements. Topics Discussed: Why democratizing AI for business operators beats centralized data science teams in enterprises Dataiku’s buyer persona: the ”in-between” leader managing AI strategy between IT and business How avoiding professional services enabled platform-led growth to Fortune 500 scale Competing with Snowflake, Databricks, and Microsoft Fabric by positioning as the translation layer Why enterprise IT infrastructure changes every 2-3 years—and how that creates permanent demand for glue Measuring retention through AI project velocity instead of platform usage metrics Building from France while recruiting experienced executives from US public companies The workforce shift: from 80% transacting to 80% inspecting automated systems Why enterprises need ”reasoning layers” that encode business logic into automated systems The Faustian bargain of agents: uncoordinated AI creating organizational chaos at machine speed Data sovereignty vs. EU AI Act: two fundamentally different regulatory challenges Why governance must be built into AI projects from inception, not bolted on at the end Florian’s 12-year relationship with the same buyer persona and why founder-market fit spans decades GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: - Target the structural ”in-between” role that bridges technical and business worlds - Platform architecture beats professional services for enterprise scale - Retention through output velocity, not platform stickiness - Position as infrastructure that outlasts technology churn - Build global leadership for scale while maintaining technical centers of excellence - Let category positioning evolve through customer feedback rather than forcing premature definition // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don’t Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM