Platform Engineering Podcast

It’s episode four of the Platform Engineering Podcast’s special series on the Foundations of The Cloud! This time Cory O'Daniel sits down with Brian Grant, the original lead architect of Kubernetes, to dive deep into the history and evolution of Kubernetes in cloud operations. Brian shares his journey from working in supercomputing to joining Google and helping develop Kubernetes. He also provides insights on the importance of Kubernetes' declarative model, managing complexity in cloud native environments, and the extensive impact and future potential of Kubernetes. Tune in to learn more about the intricate details of platform engineering and the revolutionary developments in cloud native infrastructure.

Guest: Brian Grant, Original lead architect of Kubernetes and CTO/Co-founder of ConfigHub

Brian Grant is a foundational architect and influential voice within the Kubernetes project and the broader cloud-native landscape.

Brian Grant - X

Brian Grant - GitHub

Brian Grant - Medium

Links to interesting things from this episode:

• "Kubernetes Documentation
• Declarative Application Management in Kubernetes
• Kubernetes the Hard Way by Kelsey Hightower
• Kubernetes Milestones and Tasks Checklist

In this third episode of the Platform Engineering Podcast’s special series on the Foundations of The Cloud, host Corey O'Daniel interviews Mitchell Hashimoto, co-founder of HashiCorp and creator of Terraform, Vault, and Nomad. They discuss the intricacies of platform engineering, the history and evolution of Terraform, the advent of infrastructure as code, and the challenges accompanying it. Mitchell also shares insights on his new project, Ghostly, a high-performance terminal emulator, and delves into how generative AI will transform operations engineering. Listen to this episode to get valuable lessons for both industry veterans and newcomers.

Guest: Mitchell Hashimoto, Founder of HashiCorp, Creator of Vagrant, Packer, Consul, Terraform, Vault, Nomad, Waypoint, and more.

Mitchell Hashimoto is a passionate engineer, professional speaker, and entrepreneur. Mitchell has been creating and contributing to open-source software for almost a decade. He has spoken at dozens of conferences about his work, such as VelocityConf, OSCON, FOSDEM, and more.

Mitchell co-founded HashiCorp, where he held multiple roles including CEO and CTO. He left the company in 2023, but he was part of the initial engineering team behind most of their products, such as Vagrant, Packer, Consul, Terraform, Vault, Nomad, Waypoint, and more. Prior to HashiCorp, Mitchell spent five years as a web developer and another four as an operations engineer.

Mitchell is also an FAA licensed private pilot with an instrument rating (PPL ASEL IR). He currently flies a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet. Aviation overlaps with his passion for programming and he routinely works on aviation software for fun.

Mitchell Hashimoto - X

Mitchell Hashimoto - Personal Website

Mitchell Hashimoto - Github

Ghostty

Links to interesting things from this episode:

• HashiCorp
• Purpose of Terraform State
• Systems Resurgent?, speech by Amod Malviya, Systems Distributed Conference 2024

In this second episode of the Platform Engineering Podcast’s special series on the Foundations of The Cloud, Cory O’Daniel meets up with Adam Jacob, co-founder of Chef and System Initiative. They discuss his early interest in infrastructure and automation, the development and impact of Chef in the DevOps community, and his transition to becoming a CEO. The conversation emphasizes the community and technological advancements Chef brought to the industry and introduces the ambitious goals of his current project, System Initiative. Don't miss this insightful conversation—tune in now to discover the future of infrastructure and automation!

Guest: Adam Jacob, CEO / Chairman / Co-Founder of System Initiative

Adam is an engineering and product innovator, with decades of experience designing, building, and managing large production systems. Adam previously co-founded Chef Software, was the original author of Chef, served as CTO, and was on the board of directors.

Adam Jacob - Twitter

Adam Jacob - Github

Adam Jacob - Medium

System Initiative

In this special episode of the Platform Engineering Podcast on Foundations of The Cloud, Cory O'Daniel chats with Mark Burgess, the creator of CFEngine and a pioneer in configuration management. They dive into Mark's journey from physics to computer science, the birth of CFEngine, and the dynamic world of system administration and DevOps. They also explore the evolution of IT operations, the challenges of managing modern infrastructures, and the future promises of AI and autonomous systems in tech. Join us for an insightful discussion filled with historical anecdotes, practical advice, and visionary ideas for the future of platform engineering.

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Guest: Mark Burgess, Principal Founder of CFEngine

Mark Burgess is a theoretician and practitioner in the area of information systems, whose work has focused largely on distributed information infrastructure. He wrote an early popular book on C programming, which is now open and available through the Free Software Foundation. He was an early contributor to the Free Software Foundation in 1993 with CFEngine, which remains GPL. He is known particularly for his work on Configuration Management and Promise Theory. He was the principal Founder of CFEngine, co-founder at Aljabr, and is now the founder of ChiTek-i. He is Emeritus Professor of Network and System Administration from Oslo University College. He is the author of numerous books, articles, and papers on topics from Physics, Networks and Systems, to fiction. He also writes a blog on issues of science and IT industry concerns. Today, he works as an advisor on science and technology matters all over the world.

Mark Burgess - Website

CFEngine

Links to interesting things from this episode:

• Computer Immunology
• Promise Theory
• Smart Spacetime

In this episode of the Platform Engineering Podcast, Cory O’Daniel speaks with Amey Patil, Head of Platform Engineering at Google Ads and Google Analytics. They discuss the evolving landscape of platform engineering, the integration of AI and ML, and the human factors essential for leading successful platform teams. From managing legacy code migrations to fostering a culture of innovation, Amey shares insights and strategies that are vital for both seasoned professionals and newcomers to the field. Tune in to gain valuable knowledge and stay ahead in the dynamic world of platform engineering.

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Guest: Amey Patil, Head of Platform Engineering at Google Ads and Google Analytics

Amey is a seasoned technology leader with a proven track record at Google and VMware. He excels in driving innovation and spearheading high-performing engineering teams. Currently serving as the Head of Platform Engineering for Google Ads and Google Analytics, he oversees infrastructure supporting multiple high-revenue products, leading a global team.

Startups always bring refreshing perspectives and brand-new ideas to any space, and the platform engineering industry is no different. In this episode, Cory O'Daniel sits down with Colton Dempsey of Next47 to discuss the important role of startup ventures in the progress of platform engineering. He explains the five categories of startups, why many of them are building more diverse feature sets, and the most effective monetization approaches for open-source projects. Colton also delves into the rise of cloud-native technologies and Kubernetes, detailing how they influenced his investment strategies.

Guest: Colton Dempsey, Partner at Next47

Colton joined Next47 in 2018 and is a Partner on the Palo Alto investment team. He helped lead the firm’s investments in Noname Security, Armorblox, DataGrail, Brilliant, Software.com, and Pando, among others. His primary areas of focus are IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, robotics, and connected devices.

Colton Dempsey, X

Next47

Links to interesting things from this episode:

• Logz.io
• Platform Engineering On Kubernetes
• Cypress.io

In this episode Chris Hill asks Cory O’Daniel, CEO and co-founder of Massdriver, to explain the concept and benefits of hybrid cloud, including the use of multiple cloud providers and container services for scalability and flexibility. The discussion also addresses the security and networking challenges that using hybrid cloud implies. 

Guest: Cory O'Daniel, CEO at Massdriver

Chris Hill sits down with Cory O'Daniel to talk about how Infrastructure as Code can help with disaster recovery and business continuity. From the technology and personnel challenges to scenarios such as losing one of your regions and the importance of backup plans, learn how IaC can be used to help ensure data and operations are not affected.

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Guest: Cory O'Daniel, CEO at Massdriver

In this week's episode, Chris Hill gets Dave Williams to go deeper into how platform engineering is moving one step beyond DevOps. Listen in as they discuss the skill sets, principles, and mindset needed to enable this evolution in the field.

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Guest: Dave Williams, CTO at Massdriver

DevOps was conceived as a way to bring developers and operations together, but has it really worked? In this episode, Dave Williams sits down with Cory O’Daniel to discuss his controversial blog post “DevOps Is Bullshit.” Find out why Cory sees platform engineering as a solution. Discover its potential as an antidote to the unmet promises and inherent challenges within the current DevOps landscape. Tune in now!

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Guest: Cory O'Daniel, CEO at Massdriver

Links to interesting things from this episode:

• Massdriver
• Microsoft For Startups
• Article: DevOps is Bullshit