Infinite Curiosity Pod with Prateek Joshi

Agentic Shift in Microservices | Mark Fussell, CEO of Diagrid

Jul 9, 2025

Mark Fussell, CEO of Diagrid and co-creator of Dapr, dives into the evolution of cloud-native applications. He shares the origins of Dapr and explains its rising popularity among developers. Fussell discusses the challenges of open-source commercialization and how companies benefit from Diagrid's tools. The conversation also highlights the transformative impact of AI on microservices design, leading to a shift towards agentic applications and innovative approaches in software development. Plus, discover his favorite books and insights from early customer experiences.

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INSIGHT

Dapr Simplifies Microservices Development

Dapr solves the complexity developers face building cloud-native microservices on Kubernetes by providing consistent APIs and design patterns.
It abstracts communication, messaging, and event-driven functionality over any infrastructure, boosting productivity.

ANECDOTE

Dapr’s Open Source Origins and Diagrid

Mark and his co-founder created Dapr over six years, donating it to the CNCF to become a mature, vendor-neutral open source project.
They founded Diagrid to innovate beyond corporate constraints and build a commercial platform on Dapr.

INSIGHT

Business Drives Microservices and Dapr Uptake

The business demand for faster, more scalable app delivery drove microservices adoption over monoliths.
Dapr gained traction by offering reusable abstractions, reducing developers reinventing common distributed app patterns.

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Waves on an Impossible Sea

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Matt Strassler

Matt Strassler's "Waves on an Impossible Sea" provides a unique approach to explaining the Higgs boson and the Higgs mechanism. Instead of relying on common metaphors, Strassler aims for a more fundamental and accurate explanation, starting from the basics of relativity. The book is characterized by its avoidance of equations and its focus on conceptual clarity. It challenges conventional explanations and offers a fresh perspective on a complex topic. Strassler's expertise in theoretical physics and his commitment to clear communication make this book a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the Higgs boson.

The dispossessed

Laura Longmore

Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Dispossessed" is a science fiction novel that explores themes of anarchism, utopianism, and social justice. The story follows Shevek, a physicist who travels between two planets with contrasting social systems: Urras, a capitalist society, and Anarres, an anarchist society. Le Guin's novel is a thought-provoking exploration of different social and political systems and their impact on individual lives. The novel's exploration of freedom, equality, and the challenges of creating a just society continues to resonate with readers today. It's a classic of science fiction.

Crossing the Chasm

Geoffrey Moore

In 'Crossing the Chasm', Geoffrey A. Moore explores the Technology Adoption Life Cycle, which includes innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. He highlights the significant gap or 'chasm' between early adopters and the early majority, where early adopters are willing to sacrifice for the advantage of being first, while the early majority waits for evidence of productivity improvements. The book provides strategies for narrowing this chasm, including choosing a target market, understanding the whole product concept, positioning the product, building a marketing strategy, and selecting the most appropriate distribution channels and pricing. The third edition includes new examples, strategies for digital marketing, and connections to Moore's subsequent works like 'Inside the Tornado'.

Good to Great

Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't

Jim Collins

In 'Good to Great,' Jim Collins and his research team investigate why some companies achieve long-term greatness while others do not. The book identifies key concepts such as Level 5 Leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, a Culture of Discipline, and the Flywheel Effect. These principles are derived from a comprehensive study comparing companies that made the leap to greatness with those that did not. The research highlights that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but rather a result of conscious choice and discipline. The book provides practical insights and case studies to help businesses and leaders understand and apply these principles to achieve sustained greatness.