Founder & CEO
CEO, Dagster Labs · Co-founder of React · Founder, Smyte (acquired by Twitter)
Pete Hunt, CEO of Dagster and co-founder of React, helps companies build the platforms required to run AI in production.
📍 Boston, MA
Pete Hunt is CEO of Dagster Labs, the company behind Dagster, an open-source platform used by companies to build and operate modern data platforms.
Pete previously helped co-found React at Facebook, where he worked on developer infrastructure and helped launch one of the most influential open-source projects in software.
He later founded Smyte, a machine-learning platform for fraud and abuse prevention used by major internet companies. Smyte was acquired by Twitter, where Pete led engineering for trust and safety infrastructure.
At Dagster, Pete focuses on the next generation of data platforms and AI-native data infrastructure — the systems companies need to power analytics, data products, and production AI.
Pete frequently speaks about how software engineering practices are reshaping data, why AI systems require better orchestration and guardrails, and how developer tools evolve into category-defining platforms.
CEO
Engineering Lead, Trust & Safety Infrastructure (via Smyte acquisition)
Founder & CEO — ML platform for fraud & abuse prevention
Developer Infrastructure & React Co-founder
Building the future of data orchestration and AI-powered business intelligence
Dagster Labs provides the data orchestration platform that helps teams build, test, and monitor data pipelines with confidence.
Compass brings AI-powered insights directly into Slack, helping teams answer "why" questions about their metrics without leaving their workflow.
Dagster: The modern data orchestration platform built for scale and reliability
Compass: AI decision support that delivers governed, trustworthy answers in Slack
Dagster powers data teams at leading companies, enabling them to build reliable data pipelines and make faster, better decisions.
Core areas Pete speaks about across podcasts, conferences, and media.
Engaging topics to explore Pete's unique journey and insights.
What inspired you to start building Compass, and how does it solve challenges you've personally experienced?
Can you walk us through the early days of React.js? What were the biggest technical and cultural hurdles?
How do you balance technical innovation with business needs as CEO of Dagster Labs?
What lessons from Instagram's scale influenced how you think about data orchestration?
Tell us about the Smyte acquisition by Twitter — what did you learn from that journey?
How has your approach to engineering leadership evolved from Facebook to now?
What makes Compass different from traditional analytics dashboards?
How do you think about AI governance and control in enterprise settings?
What advice would you give to technical founders transitioning to CEO roles?
Where do you see the future of data engineering and AI-powered analytics heading?
How did React change the way we think about building user interfaces?
What's your philosophy on open source vs. proprietary technology?
How do you build trust with customers when implementing AI in business-critical workflows?
What role does community play in the success of developer tools like Dagster?
Can you share a defining moment in your career that changed your perspective on technology leadership?
From co-founding React.js at Facebook to leading Dagster Labs as CEO, Pete brings insights on data platforms, AI engineering, and the journey from engineer to tech leader.
Deep technical expertise in AI, data platforms, and engineering
CEO track record from React to Smyte to Dagster Labs
Compelling storytelling across podcasts, conferences, and media
janhavi@moburst.com