"Data is boring. And by extension, CDPs are kind of boring too." A candid talk with David Raab

CDP Institute's David Raab coined the term Customer Data Platform, which makes him either the godfather of modern Martech or the guy responsible for every PowerPoint slide with a data unification triangle on it. Possibly both. In this episode of Couch Confidentials, we talk about the slow death of CDP hype, why AI is just a mirror for your data mess, and why companies keep renaming “data plumbing” as “activation” in hopes it’ll feel more important. We also cover how vendors are racing to bolt AI onto every surface like it’s a startup-themed version of Iron Man, why investing in data quality is like flossing (nobody’s excited, but it still matters), and how even David can’t explain his job at dinner parties without giving up halfway through. If you work in Martech and occasionally wonder “Why is everything still so hard?” grab a coffee, sit, and listen. You are not alone. And if you are feeling bold, forward it to your boss, your privacy officer, or your cousin who thinks CDPs are just glorified CRMs. 👥 Connect with us on LinkedIn: Steen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steenrasmussen/ Matthew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewniederberger/ 📲 Follow Martech Therapy on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martechtherapy/ Substack: https://martechtherapy.substack.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/martechtherapy.bsky.social #cdp #martech #aiinmarketing #dataquality #dataprivacy #couchconfidentials #marketingtechnology #personalization