Datadog CISO on Securing AI Agents at Scale | Deep Dives with a16z

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a16z's Joel De La Garza is joined by Emilio Escobar, Chief Information Security Officer at Datadog, to discuss what it takes to secure a company where nearly every employee is using AI and more than 4,000 engineers are working with coding agents. Rather than trying to block new tools, Emilio explains why Datadog chose to embrace AI early and build the security infrastructure needed to use it safely. They unpack how AI changes traditional assumptions around data permissions, credentials, developer access, and software supply chains. Emilio shares how Datadog uses role-based MCP servers and ephemeral credentials, as well as an AI "judge" built by his security team to evaluate the intent behind code and agent skills before they enter the environment. They also discuss why security teams can't afford to wait for commercial solutions to every new AI threat, how the relationship between developers and security teams needs to change, and why Emilio is less concerned about an AI "escaping" than he is about the sheer volume of vulnerabilities AI could uncover. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - Deploying AI at Datadog: From 50 Cursor Licenses to 4,000 Engineers 03:11 - AI Flattens the Org: When a Sales Rep Queries Enterprise Data 05:19 - Role-Based MCP Servers & Sandboxing Agent Credentials 07:34 - The Intent Judge: An LLM That Catches Malicious Code & Skills 10:27 - Reward Hacking: When the Agent Solves the Bug by Turning Off the Database 12:07 - The Helplessness Problem: Why Most CISOs Are Waiting for a Vendor 14:05 - Security Engineers Will Become Real Engineers 18:12 - "AI Has Gone Wild" — Why Datadog's CISO Isn't Panicking Resources: Follow Emilio Escobar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilioesc/ Follow Joel De La Garza on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/3448827723723234/ Follow Datadog on X: https://x.com/datadoghq Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.