This week on That Tech Pod, Kevin and Laura talk with David Turner, Global Leader of Data & Analytics and Co-Leader of AI at FTI Consulting, about what it really means to operate at the center of data, AI, and high-stakes problem solving.

David’s career path might look straightforward, from Arthur Andersen to Capital One and then more than two decades at FTI, but he explains it was less about a master plan and more about finding the right environments and teams. Consulting, for him, became the place where he could continuously solve new, complex problems, often stepping in when companies are facing moments that feel existential.

The conversation dives into AI quickly, cutting through the hype. David focuses on what actually works: real use cases, hands-on experience, and teams actively experimenting with tools. His view is that AI isn’t something you can understand from a slide deck. It’s a skill you build by using it, and the companies moving fastest are the ones sharing what’s working internally. One of the biggest themes is how AI is reshaping the economics of consulting. If technology compresses time to insight, what happens to the billable hour? David doesn’t see a clean break, but he does see a shift. Expertise becomes more valuable, and firms will need to get more creative with pricing, blending traditional models with outcome-based approaches depending on the work. They also spend time on risk, shaped in part by David’s early experience during the collapse of Arthur Andersen. That moment reinforced that no firm is immune, and it continues to influence how he balances innovation with caution, especially in today’s AI-driven environment. This is a grounded look at where AI is actually making an impact and where the real challenges still are.

David Turner is the Global Leader of Data and Analytics and Co-Leader of AI at FTI Consulting, and now serves as the firm’s Chief Technology Officer for client-facing technology. He works with executive teams on high-stakes challenges across investigations, litigation, compliance, and corporate transformation, helping organizations turn data into a real asset using advanced analytics and responsible AI. Over the course of his career, he’s advised Fortune 500 companies, global law firms, and public sector clients, and has played a key role in shaping FTI’s approach to AI and client-facing solutions.

Coming off the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas, Laura and Kevin sit down with Eliézer Ndinga, the Global Head of Research at 21Shares, a Switzerland-based financial services company that issues cryptocurrency exchange-traded products, to unpack what they heard, what actually matters, and what’s still just noise.

We get into Eli’s background and how he’s been navigating the intersection of crypto, infrastructure, and real-world adoption, then use that lens to pressure test some of the biggest themes coming out of the conference. Where is the signal versus the hype? What felt different this year compared to prior cycles? And what are people still getting wrong?

The conversation moves from big-picture trends into more practical territory. We talk about where institutional interest is real versus performative, how regulation is shaping behavior behind the scenes, and what it actually looks like for companies trying to build in this space right now. Eli shares where he’s seeing momentum, where things are stuck, and what he’s personally paying attention to over the next 12–18 months. We then spend time on the human side of all of this. How do you build conviction in a space that constantly resets the narrative? What separates people who stick around and compound knowledge from those who chase cycles? And how should someone adjacent to crypto be thinking about getting involved without getting burned?

Eliézer Ndinga is the Global Head of Research at 21Shares, where he leads the firm’s efforts to analyze digital asset markets, blockchain innovation, and the evolving role of crypto in global finance. A founding team member who joined in 2020, he has played a key role in shaping the company’s research perspective as it grew into one of the world’s largest issuers of crypto exchange-traded products. Eli is known for connecting the technical foundations of blockchain with real-world applications across enterprises, financial systems, and emerging technologies like DeFi and tokenization. His work focuses on identifying where digital assets are gaining meaningful traction, how regulatory shifts are influencing adoption, and where the next wave of growth is likely to emerge.

Today's episode starts off with an enthusiastic push to adopt dogs, spotlighting Tonka, a sweet, cuddly miniature pit bull from the Colleton County Animal Shelter. Despite a cosmetic leg issue, he’s healthy, great with other animals, and in need of a home. Laura makes a passionate case for adoption or fostering, even joking about personally arranging transport. It’s a genuine reminder that there are a lot of great dogs out there that need homes so adopt a dog!

The conversation then gets serious turning to David Matalon, who breaks down the uncomfortable reality of modern work: remote and distributed teams are here to stay, but most companies haven’t actually solved how to secure them. The old model, locked-down corporate laptops or clunky VDI setups, doesn’t match how people work today. Employees are constantly moving between personal devices, hotel Wi-Fi, and public networks, often handling sensitive data in ways that leave them far more exposed than they realize.

BYOD sits right at the center of that tension. David's take is that companies have been avoiding the truth for years. You can’t fully control the device anymore, and trying to do so either creates major security gaps or pushes employees to work around restrictions entirely. The shift he describes is toward securing the work itself, not the hardware, using approaches like isolated workspaces that separate professional and personal activity without killing usability. It also becomes critical in the age of AI, where the real risk is employees casually moving sensitive data into personal tools without oversight. Looking ahead, Matalon predicts a pretty clear shift: the idea of company-issued laptops as the default will fade, and BYOD will become the norm. The challenge for organizations isn’t whether this happens, it’s whether they can secure it in a way that actually aligns with how people work.

David Matalon is a five-time founder and the CEO of Venn, where he focuses on helping organizations securely support distributed and remote workforces. With a background spanning virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), endpoint security, and compliance, he has built and led multiple companies centered on delivering secure application access for modern work environments. At Venn, he introduced Blue Border™, a technology designed to create a secure, IT-controlled workspace on personal devices without sacrificing user experience or relying on traditional VDI. He holds an undergraduate degree from New York University Stern School of Business and a master’s degree from Columbia University.