I chat with Colin Gray, Senior Data Scientist at Netflix, as he shares his journey from economics to data science in tech. Discover how asking the right questions shapes decisions, the challenges of modeling human behavior, and how economics provides a lens for tackling complex problems.

Expect to Learn About

– The importance of asking the right questions in data science.
– How economics principles apply to tech and business problems.
– The challenges of identifying causality in noisy data.
– Key skills for thriving in data science and analytics roles.
– The unique role of economists in tech organizations.

Where to find Colin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colintgray/

Where to find Ida

Website: https://idajohnsson.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ida-johnsson/
X: https://twitter.com/IdaBJohnsson

Timestamps

00:00 Preview
00:37 How Colin got interested in Econ
05:18 PhD training vs. selection bias
06:09 What distinguishes economists from other scientists
09:04 Questioning mindset
12:13 Heterogeneity
15:30 Builders vs. thinkers
18:44 Teaching and mentoring
21:54 What Colin looks for when interviewing
25:52 Solving problems as a senior scientist
29:34 Measuring impact
33:59 Should you get a PhD
38:27 Networking
41:08 Causal thinking in everyday life
46:09 Openness to changing your mind