---
title: Blackjack, bias and what it takes to become a data-driven leader
description: Jeff Ma in conversation with Mike Walsh
image: https://www.mike-walsh.com/hubfs/images/Between%20Worlds/Jeff%20Ma.jpg
---

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## [Blackjack, bias and what it takes to become a data-driven leader](https://www.mike-walsh.com/podcast/jeff-ma)

Posted by [Mike Walsh](https://www.mike-walsh.com/podcast/author/mike-walsh)

 Mar 5, 2017 5:19:27 AM

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![Jeff Ma.jpg](https://www.mike-walsh.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Between%20Worlds/Jeff%20Ma.jpg?width=1024&name=Jeff%20Ma.jpg)

 

A member of the infamous MIT Blackjack Team, Jeff Ma was the inspiration for the best-selling book ‘Bringing Down the House’ and the hit movie, ’21’. A successful entrepreneur and expert on analytics, he is also a pioneer in the ‘Moneyball’ movement working with professional sports teams like the San Francisco 49ers and the Portland Trail Blazers to help them make better decisions with data. After selling his latest business, tenXer to Twitter, Jeff now works there as Senior Director of Business Insights. We met up for a coffee in San Francisco to chat about what playing Blackjack can teach you about overcoming cognitive bias, the quantification of work and what it takes to be truly data-driven.

 

 Topics: [Leadership](https://www.mike-walsh.com/podcast/topic/leadership), [Technology](https://www.mike-walsh.com/podcast/topic/technology)

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