The Pop Star of Data Science

One man’s quest to bring machine learning into the mainstream

Disclaimer: The sole purpose of this article is to stir productive discussion by providing an unconventional, perhaps controversial perspective on the seemingly frivolous teaching techniques the data science popularizer Siraj Raval employs in his videos. It’s not my intention to give an appraisal of his suspicious personal conduct or questionable business ethics, both of which I fully disapprove of.

Roughly a decade or two ago, a stereotypical ambitious college graduate saw herself getting a job at an investment bank, wearing expensive suits to work, and celebrating the closing of million-dollar deals at high-end parties. Nowadays, on the other hand, she fancies herself as the flip-flop wearing prodigal software engineer, co-founding a unicorn while traveling the world as a digital nomad.

This transformation of interests is also reflected in both the media and in popular culture. People who used to read the Wall Street Journal might nowadays emphasize the startup section of TechCrunch instead. In cinema, modern classics like Wall Street and Boiler Room have been replaced by the likes of The Social Network. In television, The Office has been superseded by its modern satirical cousin Silicon Valley, while the deeply character-centric Mr. Robot…