We Chat Tech

In this episode, Neil Cresswell, CEO of Portainer, shares his journey from a technologist to a CEO, discussing the challenges and evolution of containerization technology. He emphasizes the importance of community feedback in product development and the need for a balanced approach to enterprise architecture. Neil also reflects on the challenges of remote work, building company culture, and the personal sacrifices that come with entrepreneurship. He provides valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and discusses the future of containerization and AI integration.

takeaways

• Neil's journey from technologist to CEO highlights the importance of adaptability.
• Portainer was born from a need for simplicity in container management.
• Community feedback is crucial for product development and improvement.
• The evolution of containerization technology is making it more complex.
• AI will play a significant role in the future of technology.
• Building a strong company culture is essential for remote teams.
• Navigating time zones is a major challenge for remote work.
• Personal sacrifices are often necessary for entrepreneurial success.
• Effective leadership requires balancing technical and business strategies.
• The future of containerization may involve more user-friendly interfaces.

Quotes from this podcast:

• "You either love it or you hate it."
• "Buy Bitcoin."
• "I am definitely not corporate."

Chapters

00:00Introduction to Neil Cresswell and Portainer

05:52The Journey to Building Portainer

11:47Challenges in Containerization and Kubernetes

17:23The Future of Containerization and AI Integration

23:28Balancing Roles as CEO and CTO

29:19Company Culture and Community Engagement

30:04Building a Culture of Transparency

35:01Challenges of Remote Work

38:25Navigating Time Zones and Cultural Differences

44:02Balancing Work and Family Life

47:43Lessons in Leadership and Business Building

In this episode of the WeChat Tech podcast, the Founder & CEO at MySafeTherapy, Sana Fatima, shares her extensive journey in HR and mental health, discussing her transition from software development to human resources and eventually founding MySafeTherapy. She emphasizes the importance of making therapy accessible and the impact of cultural differences on HR practices. Sana also addresses the challenges of burnout in high-pressure environments and the evolving landscape of counseling, particularly post-COVID. The conversation highlights the role of technology, including AI, in modern therapy while underscoring the necessity of human connection in counseling. Sana's passion for mental health and her mission to create a supportive platform for individuals seeking help are central themes throughout the discussion.

Key takeaways:

• Sana Fatima has over 15 years of experience in HR and mental health.
• She founded MySafeTherapy to make therapy more accessible.
• Sana's early life in Allahabad shaped her values and career choices.
• Transitioning from software development to HR was driven by her interest in people.
• Burnout is a common issue in startups, and self-monitoring is crucial.
• Cultural differences significantly impact HR practices across countries.
• COVID-19 has normalized discussions around mental health.
• AI can assist in counseling but cannot replace human connection.
• MySafeTherapy aims to provide a safe space for self-reflection and therapy.
• Sana emphasizes the importance of passion over profit in her work.

In todays episode, Ben Whitmarsh sits down with Steph Thommen, a People Operations leader. Steph is a seasoned people operations and culture expert, with over 20 years of experience spanning both corporate and high-growth startup environments.

She has been instrumental in helping startups scale effectively, building strong teams, and developing dynamic people operations strategies. Her work focuses on creating the systems that preserve and enhance a company’s unique culture while ensuring rapid and sustainable growth. Having worked with fast-growing startups, she empowers founders to align their business goals with a strong people-first approach, fostering environments where both the team and business thrive.

This podcast should give aspiring people leaders in tech some outstanding insights from somebody who has transformed multiple tech business and created highly effective teams that thrive. There are some good bits in here too for tech founders!

Steph's LinkedIn profile is here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephthommen/

Ben's socials - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwhitmarsh/

DevOps Society LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/devops-society/

DevOps Society Youtube Channel - https://youtube.com/@devopssociety

In today's episode of the We Chat Tech Podcast, Vytas Jelinskas and Ben Whitmarsh chat with Fernando Villalba. Fernando is a charismatic Principal Engineer at Civo who is a friend of the podcast and DevOps Society Ambassador for DevEx!

We capture the personality of Fernando, his journey, what he was doing before technology, tech meetups, and much more. This podcast was over an hour long, but Fernando's audio didn't save from 42 minutes onwards. (blame the podcast recording platform we use!!)

This is a relaxed chat between three people who know each other well, so get ready for some great insights along with some laughs too.

Thank you to Fernando for his time - we hope he enjoys his travels across Asia!

Fernando's socials can be found on the links below -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nandoit/

Vytas' socials - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vytasdevops/

Ben's socials - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwhitmarsh/

DevOps Society LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/devops-society/

DevOps Society Youtube Channel - https://youtube.com/@devopssociety

#tech #technology #engineering #community

In today's episode of the We Chat Tech Podcast, Ben Whitmarsh chats with Romano Roth, the Global Chief of DevOps at Zuhlke Group, a Globally recognised technology consultancy. Romano gives us his thoughts, experience, and insights into the world of DevOps, cultural shifts, coaching, mentoring, and more!

Romano is a well-respected figure in the DevOps landscape. He is a thought leader, trainer, speaker, lecturer, and organizer of DevOpsDays Zurich & DevOps Meetup Zurich.

Romano's socials can be found on the links below -

https://www.romanoroth.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanoroth/

https://twitter.com/RomanoRoth

https://www.youtube.com/c/RomanoRoth

https://fosstodon.org/@romanoroth

https://leanpub.com/u/romanoroth

Ben's socials - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwhitmarsh/

DevOps Society LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/devops-society/

In today's episode of the We Chat Tech Podcast, Vytas Jelinskas and Ben Whitmarsh chat with Steve Wade about all things cloud-native, Kubernetes, his journey, work-life balance, contracting, and more.

Steve Wade was one of the founding engineers at KSOC, a Kubernetes security startup. Before this, Steve held Platform leadership roles at UnderWrite Me and Mettle. During these roles, he leveraged the concept of GitOps to provide self-service platforms to developers. He has also provided Kubernetes consultancy and training worldwide as a Consultant at Apprenda. Steve has held leadership roles in many verticals, including real estate, gaming, and the UK parliament. Steve has a BSc in Computer Science and is passionate about cloud-native software development and distributed computing. Please follow our podcast for more episodes weekly on Mondays!

Steve's socials can be found on the links below - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevendavidwade https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cloud-native-club https://x.com/cloudnativeclub https://www.youtube.com/@thecloudnativeclub

Vytas' socials - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vytasdevops/

Ben's socials - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwhitmarsh/

DevOps Society LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/devops-society/