Kurt Mackey, Co-founder and CEO of Fly, shares insights on building the developer cloud. He discusses the intricate alliance of companies within the cloud ecosystem, coining it the 'Rebel Alliance.' Kurt delves into cloud complexity versus usability, Fly's future with Postgres, and his take on competitors like Neon and Supabase. He also outlines plans for Pipely, a simple CDN to enhance digital infrastructure, and candidly explores the personal challenges of balancing professional and emotional well-being.
Kurt Mackey emphasizes the need for a balance between the complexity of cloud infrastructure and its usability for developers.
The concept of the 'Rebel Alliance' highlights collaboration among smaller companies in the cloud industry to improve services.
Fly is focused on building a managed Postgres database solution that caters specifically to user needs without unnecessary complexity.
Mackey shares personal experiences regarding the importance of emotional health and therapy in navigating leadership challenges at Fly.
Deep dives
Building the Cloud: Insights from Kurt Mackey
Kurt Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Fly, discusses the current landscape of cloud computing, emphasizing the need for a balance between complexity and usability. He introduces the concept of a 'Rebel Alliance', which fosters collaboration among companies to improve cloud services. Mackey explains how the complexity of some cloud infrastructures can hinder usability, a challenge Fly aims to address. He shares the importance of building a cloud that developers can use efficiently and confidently.
Understanding Developer Needs: Session Replay
In a segment, Jasmine Cassis from Sentry highlights the highly adopted session replay feature that simplifies troubleshooting for developers. This feature allows developers to view playback of user interactions at the time an error occurs, making it a critical tool for improving user experience. Sentry’s commitment to supporting multiple programming languages ensures that developers across platforms can utilize session replay effectively. The integration of replay video directly in issue alerts streamlines the debugging process significantly.
The Future of Fly and Postgres
Mackey elaborates on Fly's future developments, particularly focusing on managed Postgres databases. He acknowledges the competitive landscape while expressing confidence in building an efficient managed solution. Fly's initiative aims to create a Postgres service that caters specifically to user needs without overcomplicating the offering. The goal is to provide users with reliable and accessible database management to enhance their application performance.
Navigating the Complexity of Cloud Services
The discussion delves into the challenges of maintaining transparency and reliability in cloud services, especially during operational outages. Mackey reflects on how various factors affect user perception and the company's reputation during technical difficulties. He cites examples of how issues with global proxies can impact multiple customers simultaneously, revealing the intricate relationship between infrastructure and user experience. Addressing user concerns and providing consistent service are paramount to sustaining a reliable cloud platform.
Exploring Alternatives: The Rebel Alliance Concept
The conversation touches on the concepts of collaboration within the cloud industry, expressed as the 'Rebel Alliance'. This idea aims to allow smaller companies to partner instead of competing directly against giants like AWS. Mackey recognizes the complexities in forming these partnerships due to differing company goals and customer needs. He remains hopeful about establishing effective alliances that can ultimately benefit developers by providing better-integrated solutions.
Carving a Niche: Tigris and Managed Services
Mackey introduces Tigris as a unique offering that enhances Fly's service portfolio, especially for object storage needs. Tigris is designed to integrate seamlessly with Fly, making it easier for developers to utilize efficient storage solutions. This partnership exemplifies how smaller firms can collaborate effectively and leverage each other's strengths. The goal is to simplify storage management for developers, making it more accessible and less cumbersome.
Personal Growth and Reflections: Mackey's Journey
Kurt Mackey shares his personal experiences navigating the ups and downs of leading Fly, revealing how work has significantly impacted his emotional well-being. He discusses the importance of therapy in addressing personal challenges and understanding the balance between work, family, and relationships. This journey of self-discovery has enabled him to approach leadership with a more balanced perspective, fostering resilience in the face of adversity. His renewed focus on emotional health contributes positively to both his personal life and Fly's dynamic work environment.
Kurt Mackey is back for a deep dive into what it takes to build the developer cloud. Kurt joins Adam to discuss the alliance between companies and cloud, something Kurt refers to as the “Rebel Alliance,” cloud complexity vs usability, Fly’s future with Postgres and why they’ve waited, thoughts on Neon and Supabase (Kurt shares a hot take), and our CDN saga and plan to build a simple CDN on Fly called Pipely (still a Pipedream).
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