Welcome to the Jon Myer Podcast, powered by Myer Media! Fresh off the keynote stage at AWS re:Invent 2025, we sit down with Nathan from Metal Toad, an AWS partner helping organizations navigate digital transformation and cloud-native deployment.We unpack the biggest announcements from today's keynote, why they matter, and how these innovations translate into real-world opportunities for enterprises—including when AI might NOT be the right solution yet.Key Topics Discussed:✅ Fine-tuning and distilling models: Making small models more accessible✅ Why small models are the future for accuracy, speed, and edge deployment✅ Nova snapshots: Starting 90% through training, saving millions in costs✅ Real-time AI responses: From 2-3 seconds down to half a second✅ Maintaining engineer flow state with faster AI interactions✅ Kiro going GA: Immediately usable for teams✅ The honest ROI conversation: When NOT to implement AI✅ Moving AI to the edge: Reducing cloud cost variability✅ Trends for 2026: Edge AI adoption accelerating faster than anticipatedNathan's Insights:💡 "Small models can run on smaller form factors—you could actually move them to the edge and run directly on a laptop"💡 "Getting something done to deliver value is better than stopping and starting something newer and shinier"💡 "Calculate ROI first. If it takes 40 hours to implement for 2 hours a week savings, is that worth it?"💡 "Sometimes we tell clients: you don't need AI yet. Building that trust is more important than making a sale"This conversation helps you separate hype from practical implementation, understand immediate opportunities vs. strategic planning needs, and know when to wait before jumping on the AI bandwagon.Guest: Nathan, Metal ToadHost: Jon MyerRecorded at: AWS re:Invent 2025, Las VegasYouTube Timeline0:00 - Welcome from AWS re:Invent 2025 keynote stage0:49 - Game changer: Fine-tuning and distilling small models1:13 - Benefits of small models: Speed, edge deployment, cost1:38 - Real-time innovation and customer experience improvements2:00 - Keeping engineers in flow state with faster responses2:20 - Nova snapshots: Starting 90% through training2:47 - Millions in savings by not training from scratch3:05 - What's immediately usable vs. requiring strategic planning3:47 - Calculating ROI: Is 40 hours of setup worth it?4:13 - How to prioritize when innovation comes all at once4:41 - Rapid assessment: Helping clients understand if they need AI5:23 - The hard conversation: Telling clients they don't need AI yet5:47 - Building trust by saying "not yet"6:09 - 2026 trends: AI moving to the edge faster than anticipated6:33 - Closing thoughts & thank you🔔 Don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification 🔔 ✔ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/jonmyer/?sub_confirmation=1📱 Social Media Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JonMyerWebsite: https://jonmyer.comLinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-myer/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0wjJzdIwctq4o4pTXM2KSFLike my sounds? Here's my audio source: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/fj9o9k#aws #awscloud #podcast #podcasting #costoptimization #finops #cloudcost #cloudoptimization