Being in the data industry means constantly staying on top of the latest trends and emerging technologies.
If you’re a beginner, it’s also essential to have a reliable source for industry insights and expertise.
Data influencers and experts usually either educate, entertain, or provide unique insight into a specific data job scope.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- Top 15 data influencers to follow
- Bonus honorable mentions
- Why follow data influencers?
- Final thoughts
Curious to hear more about these data experts? Continue reading to find out more about them! I’ll provide their socials as well.
Top 15 data influencers to follow
Here are the top 15 data influencers that you should be following in 2024:
1. Andrew Ng
Andrew Ng is a leading expert in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. He is the founder of Coursera and deeplearning.ai, as well as an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University.
He’s a well-known data scientist for his course on machine learning, which was one of the first online courses available on the topic.
He’s definitely an expert you’d want to follow for a data leader opinion on new advances in data science.
Socials
Follow him for the latest insights and developments in AI.
2. Bernard Marr
Bernard Marr is a renowned international expert on business, big data, analytics, and the effective use of data in modern business. He’s widely recognized for his expertise in helping organizations harness the power of data to make better business decisions and improve their overall performance.
Bernard is an author, speaker, and advisor in these areas, known for his ability to explain complex topics in a clear and accessible manner.
He’s written several popular books on data and analytics, including Big Data in Practice, Data Strategy, and Key Business Analytics. These books focus on the practical applications of data analysis in business contexts, providing insights and strategies for leveraging data for competitive advantage.
Socials:
3. Alex the Analyst
Alex Freburg, also known as Alex the Analyst, is a data analytics content creator and the founder of Analyst Builder. He’s best known for his knowledge and experiences in data analytics on his YouTube channel.
His YouTube video courses on SQL (Structure Query Language), Python, and Tableau have amassed millions of views in total, making him a popular resource for those looking to learn data analytics skills for free online. He’s even reviewed the CareerFoundry Data Analytics Program and shared his thoughts:
Alex is also passionate about creating content that helps others understand complex topics in an easy-to-understand way, making him an excellent influencer to follow for beginners.
Socials:
4. Ben Rogojan
Ben Rogojan, also known as the Seattle Data Guy, is a data engineering content creator. He shares his expertise on his transition from data analyst to data engineer.
If you’re interested in topics like Airflow, Docker, and data pipelines, you’ll definitely want to follow Ben. His content is well-structured and informative, making it easy for beginners to understand.
Socials:
5. Annie Nelson
Here’s a data influencer well-known for her down-to-earth videos on TikTok of breaking into tech. Annie Nelson is a data analyst and Tableau consultant who started out her journey with a non-tech background in occupational therapy.
She’s also rather active on LinkedIn, occasionally providing really insightful opinion pieces about the latest buzz in data analytics.
She’s one to follow if you prefer to be edutained through her short-form video content. If you’re coming from a non-tech background, you might find her content rather relatable and informative.
Socials:
6. Matt Mike
Matt Mike is a YouTuber, LinkedIn influencer(over 50,000 followers), and Founder of The Data Point newsletter. On those platforms, he typically shares his journey into data analytics. He also helps people with non-tech backgrounds break into data through his informative and relatable posts.
Having only started his data career in 2022, he’s still relatively new to the industry but has quickly made a name for himself as an up-and-coming data influencer.
Matt also frequently shares his thoughts and opinions on current data-related topics, providing valuable insights and perspectives.
Socials:
7. Gregory Piatetsky-Shapiro
Gregory Piatetsky-Shapiro is the Founder of KDnuggets, a popular data science and machine learning website. He has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from New York University and is a pioneer in the field of data science.
He is known for his expertise in predictive analytics, business intelligence, and data mining techniques. His website offers valuable articles, tutorials, and job listings for data professionals.
Although he isn’t as active on his socials, the work he has done on his website, KDnuggets, has helped shape the data science community into what it is today.
Socials:
8. David Langer
David Langer is the Founder of Dave on Data and an Excel guru influencer on LinkedIn (120,000+ followers) who shares tips and tricks on how to use the software for data analysis. He is also well-versed in VBA, Power Query, Power BI, SQL, Python, and R.
If you’re interested in learning how to use Excel more efficiently or want to see creative ways of analyzing data with the software, David Langer is a must-follow.
He also occasionally shares his insights on current updates to Microsoft Excel, like the latest addition of Python in Excel.
Socials:
9. Jess Ramos
Jess Ramos is a Senior Data Analyst at Crunchbase, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and a LinkedIn Learning Instructor for data analytics. She’s also amassed a large following on LinkedIn (130,000+ followers), where she shares about being a data analyst and tips for tips for job searching.
Her content is focused on empowering women in the data analytics field and sharing her passion for math and data.
Jess is also rather active with video content on Instagram and TikTok as well. So, if you’re interested in learning more about her journey as a data analyst and getting some career advice, she’s definitely one to follow.
Socials:
10. Joshua Starmer
Joshua Starmer is the Founder of StatQuest, a popular YouTube channel with over a million subscribers that explains complex statistical concepts in an easy-to-understand way using animations and visualizations.
As a data scientist and educator, Joshua shares his knowledge of machine learning, statistics, and R programming through his videos. His content is perfect for beginners looking to gain a better understanding of these topics.
His video also keeps you entertained with interactive illustrations coupled with music and his comedic “BAM!!!” statements.
Joshua also shares his thoughts on current data science trends and debates on LinkedIn and Twitter/X, making his social media platforms worth following for insightful discussions.
Socials:
11. Luke Barousse
Luke Barousse is a YouTuber (400,000 subscribers), where he shares educational videos on data analytics and programming. His videos cover a wide range of topics, including SQL, Python, and Excel.
His content is well-produced, funny, and engaging, making it perfect for beginners looking to get into data analytics or for individuals wanting to brush up on their skills.
He also addresses himself and his audience as Data Nerds, which makes it really fun and relatable for his followers. His content is great if you’re looking to learn while being entertained.
Socials:
12. Chris French
Chris French is a Data Advisor at Cigna and is better known as DataFrenchy on YouTube. He posts about data analytics content regularly on LinkedIn (58,000+ followers) about his transition from a teacher to a data analyst.
His content is suitable for those who are looking to make the same transition from education into the data analytics field. He provides data career tips, as well as SQL and Tableau tutorials, to help others jumpstart their data careers.
On YouTube, he gives tutorials on technical SQL Leetcode questions, which is good for those who are looking to get better at SQL.
Socials:
13. Guy in a Cube
Guy in a Cube is a YouTube channel (380,000+ subscribers) run by Patrick LeBlanc and Adam Saxton. They share tips, tricks, and tutorials on how to use Power BI and other Microsoft products.
Their content ranges from beginner to advanced levels of Power BI usage, so it’s suitable for all skill levels. They also showcase the latest updates and features of Power BI, keeping their audience in the know.
Their videos are well-produced and fun to watch, making learning about Power BI more enjoyable. They also have a website that provides additional resources for viewers.
Socials:
14. Leila Gharani
Leila Gharani is one of the first Excel influencers on YouTube (2.4 million subscribers) and shares tips and tricks on how to use Excel for data analytics. She also has a website with resources like templates, cheat sheets, and courses.
Her content is clear and concise, making it easy for beginners to follow along. She also dives into more advanced topics like Power Query and Power BI.
Aside from her YouTube channel, she’s also active on LinkedIn (100,000 followers), where she shares more bite-sized information about Excel.
Socials:
15. Daliana Liu
Daliana Liu is a Senior Data Scientist and the founder of “The Data Scientist Show” Podcast.
She shares her insights on data science on various platforms like LinkedIn (250,000 followers), Twitter/X, and also has her own podcast.
Her content is focused on data science interviews, and she provides tips for job searchers looking to break into the field. She also gives valuable career advice for data scientists at all levels.
Socials:
Bonus honorable mentions
Had enough yet? Here are a few more data influencers that I just couldn’t leave out:
- Mike McKee: A data analyst with fun and engaging content on LinkedIn. He’s also the founder of Dorky Data.
- Data Professor by Chanin Nantasenamat: A YouTube channel that covers topics in data science, machine learning, and bioinformatics.
- Ken Jee: A YouTube channel that shares informative and entertaining content related to data science, machine learning, and coding.
Why follow data influencers?
Following data influencers lets you stay updated on the latest industry news, insights, and trends.
These experts often share valuable resources, tips, and tricks to help improve your data professional skills.
Additionally, following data influencers can also help you network and connect with other professionals in the industry.
Their content can also inspire and motivate you to continue learning and growing in your career.
This is something valuable to have alongside your boot camps to keep you motivated and sometimes entertained.
Final thoughts
This wraps up all 15 of our top data influencers to follow in 2024! We covered experts and influencers with different topics and niches like data science, data analytics, statistics, and data engineering.
We hope this article has given you a good overview of who to follow in the field of data.
I’d recommend picking out a few to follow that match your current stage of learning data. You’d be surprised to know how much encouragement and insight they will bring.
Are you thinking of exploring further beyond just bite-sized content? Check out CareerFoundry’s free data analytics short course. For more related reading on data, you can refer to these articles: