In this episode of DevOps 238, we sat down with Zach Lloyd to dive into what’s really happening in the world of modern DevOps—from automation and AI to scaling systems and maintaining team culture in fast-paced environments.

We talked about the evolving role of DevOps engineers, the shift toward platform engineering, and why tool sprawl is becoming a bigger issue than ever. Zach shared some powerful real-world lessons on implementing CI/CD pipelines, avoiding burnout in high-pressure environments, and how teams can stay aligned without drowning in Slack notifications or endless dashboards.

One of our favorite takeaways? The idea that simplicity and communication still beat out fancy tooling—every time. We also touched on emerging trends like AI-assisted deployments, observability, and what DevOps might look like in 2026 and beyond.

If you’re navigating legacy systems, scaling rapidly, or just trying to keep your team sane and productive, this episode’s packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

• Dungeon Crawler Carl (Book)
• Dabble of DevOps AI Data Discovery Tool
• The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking (Research Paper)
• Granola AI Meeting Notes
• A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages (Book)