Origin Story: Kubernetes from Borg and Compute Engine

In this episode of Alexa’s Input (AI), Alexa sits down with Joe Beda, co-creator of Kubernetes and one of the key figures behind modern cloud computing.

Joe talks through his journey from big tech to founding a startup and back again, and what it actually takes to build systems that scale technically, organizationally, and emotionally. Joe shares the origin story of Kubernetes, what people often misunderstand about open source, and why infrastructure success sometimes comes with unexpected personal costs.

They also discuss tradeoffs between shipping fast and getting it right, how incentives shape engineering culture, and why identity standards like SPIFFE/SPIRE is just now getting more attention. Joe gives a wide-ranging, honest look at infrastructure, innovation, and the people behind it.

Links

Watch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@alexa_griffith⁠⁠⁠⁠

Read: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://alexasinput.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Listen:⁠⁠ https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/alexagriffith/⁠⁠

More: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/alexagriffith⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://alexagriffith.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-griffith/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more about the guest at:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbeda/

SPIFFE: https://spiffe.io/Kubernetes: https://kubernetes.io/

Joe Beda Interview – Increment Magazine
https://increment.com/containers/joe-beda-interview/

Joe Beda on The Podlets Podcast
https://thepodlets.io/episodes/006-joe-beda/

GitLab Blog: Kubernetes & Community (Joe Beda)
https://about.gitlab.com/blog/kubernetes-chat-with-joe-beda/

Keywords

Kubernetes, Joe Beda, cloud-native, open source, technology, Google, VMware, Heptio, AI, security standards

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Joe Beda and Kubernetes

02:50 Understanding Kubernetes: The Foundation of Modern Computing

04:36 The Birth of Kubernetes: From Idea to Reality

07:38 Internal Debates: Navigating Challenges at Google

10:14 Key Innovations: What Sets Kubernetes Apart

13:30 The Role of Community: Collaborating with Red Hat

15:26 Design Challenges: Networking and Configuration Pain Points

19:28 Joe's Journey: Transitioning from Microsoft to Google

23:02 Navigating Corporate Politics: Influence and Success

25:24 Career Growth: Balancing Company Success and Personal Development

30:44 Navigating Industry Trends and Career Durability

35:46 The Balance of Work and Life

40:40 Understanding Burnout and Personal Ownership

47:49 The Journey of Founding Heptio

54:31 The Acquisition by VMware and Its Implications

01:00:15 Authenticity in Sales and Motivation

01:01:23 Career Transitions: From Engineer to Founder

01:02:11 The Evolution of Perspective in Tech Careers

01:04:26 Navigating the Challenges of Startup Life

01:06:12 Post-Acquisition Dynamics at VMware

01:09:52 Finding Purpose in Corporate Structures

01:11:32 Philanthropy and Personal Values

01:13:02 Open Source Contributions: Spiffy and Spire

01:16:51 The State of Security Standards in AI

01:22:12 Advising Principles and Green Flags in Startups