Screaming in the Cloud

Summer Replay - Heresy in the Church of Docker Desktop with Scott Johnston

Aug 13, 2024

Scott Johnston, CEO of Docker and former Puppet executive, shares insights on Docker’s evolution and the passionate community surrounding it. He discusses the significant reset Docker underwent in 2019, shifting focus to enhance the developer experience. Scott delves into the recent pricing changes for Docker Desktop and the mixed reactions from users. He emphasizes the importance of user trust and effective communication in navigating monetization strategies while balancing enterprise needs with the core values of the developer community.

33:47

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Episode guests

Scott Johnston

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Docker has transformed developer experience by prioritizing usability and functionality, leading to a resurgence in its community engagement.

The recent pricing changes reflect Docker's strategy to balance open-source principles with sustainable monetization, enhancing value for larger enterprises.

Deep dives

Evolution of Docker and Its Community

Docker has transformed into a pivotal tool for developers since its inception in 2013, shifting the landscape of application development. New users are often introduced to Docker through recommendations from peers, creating a robust community that thrives on collaboration and shared experiences. The excitement surrounding Docker stems from its ability to streamline app development, allowing developers to build and ship applications more efficiently, without being locked into specific runtimes. This change has facilitated a breakdown of traditional silos between development and operations, as developers can now work seamlessly with their local environments mirroring production settings.

Intro

4min

Docker's Evolution and Community Response

15min

Navigating AWS Contracts and User Trust

2min

Navigating Docker's Monetization Landscape

9min

The Evolution of Docker and Modern Development Practices

4min

In this Screaming in the Cloud Summer Replay, we revisit our conversation with Scott Johnston, CEO of (the church) of Docker. Docker’s community and their fervor is well known, and Scott has much to say about it! Join the discussion as Scott goes into how he left Puppet after some exposure to Corey to become the CEO at Docker. Scott tells us what exactly Docker is, and where it starts, which is the community around it. Scott talks about the reset that Docker went through in November of 2019, where they decided to make the developer the focus of their mission. He also dives into Docker Desktop, which Scott goes into the details of. Check out this episode for more!

Show Highlights:

(0:00) Intro
(1:15) Duckbill Group sponsor read
(1:48) What is Docker?
(4:03) Returning to being a developer tool
(5:56) Docker’s pricing changes and Docker Desktop
(11:47) Community reaction to the pricing change
(13:57) Building customer confidence
(18:52) Duckbill Group sponsor read
(19:36) Putting trust into user
(22:04) Docker’s monetization strategy
(29:28) Embracing change
(32:16) Where to learn more about Scott and Docker

About Scott Johnston

Scott first typed ‘docker run’ in 2013 and hasn't looked back. He’s been with Docker since 2014 in a variety of leadership roles and currently serves as CEO. His experience previous to Docker includes Sun Microsystems, Puppet, Netscape, Cisco, and Loudcloud (parent of Opsware). When not fussing with computers he spends time with his three kids fussing with computers.

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