Kurt Mackey, Co-founder and CEO of Fly.io, dives into the intricacies of building a developer-centric cloud platform. He discusses the concept of a 'Rebel Alliance' among tech companies, highlighting the alliance's importance for cloud innovations. Kurt shares insights on balancing cloud complexity with usability, critiques of Neon and Supabase, and the exciting plans for a simplified CDN called Pipely. He candidly reflects on the emotional challenges of entrepreneurship while outlining future prospects for Fly.io and the evolving landscape of cloud services.
Kurt Mackey emphasizes the need to simplify cloud services to enhance usability and attract developers seeking efficient solutions.
The concept of the 'Rebel Alliance' highlights the importance of collaboration among cloud companies, though challenges in synergy remain.
Kurt discusses the essential role of managed database solutions like Postgres in enhancing application performance and customer retention.
The conversation encompasses the emotional dynamics of startup life, underscoring the importance of work-life balance and personal fulfillment.
Deep dives
Building a New Cloud
The discussion centers around the challenges and excitement of building a new cloud infrastructure. Kurt Mackey, co-founder of Fly, emphasizes the importance of creating a platform that simplifies cloud usability while maintaining robust performance. This is crucial as developers increasingly seek efficient and straightforward solutions without the complexities traditionally associated with cloud services. By focusing on enhancing user experience, Fly aims to differentiate itself in a competitive landscape filled with established giants.
The Rebel Alliance
Kurt introduces the concept of the 'Rebel Alliance' within the tech community, which advocates for cooperation among cloud companies rather than competition. This alliance aims to create a landscape where specialized companies excel in their respective areas, collaborating to serve developers better. However, the reality is complicated, as many startups struggle to find synergy due to differing priorities and business models. This ongoing tension raises questions about the future viability of such collaborations in the crowded cloud market.
Challenges of Cloud Complexity
One key point discussed is the complexity inherent in many cloud offerings, which can often hinder usability for developers. Kurt highlights how his perspective has evolved, revealing that it is vital to simplify operations and functionalities without sacrificing performance. This is particularly important as developers prefer platforms that enable them to build and launch applications smoothly, without getting bogged down by complicated setups. Fly's focus is on reducing this complexity significantly as they continue to develop their platform.
Future of Databases
The conversation shifts to databases, particularly the ongoing need for effective managed database solutions like Postgres. Kurt shares his thoughts on the necessity for Fly to establish its own managed database offering, stressing that many developers require reliable database options to enhance their applications. The ambition to build this managed Postgres is fueled by the recognition that having an efficient database integrated within the cloud platform could drastically increase customer retention. The aim is to provide a tailored database solution that meets the specific needs of Fly's user base.
Insights on Developer Experience
Jasmine Cassis from Sentry joins the discussion to share insights about session replay features and how they are being integrated into developer workflows. This feature, which helps developers visualize user interactions and troubleshoot issues more effectively, reflects a broader trend towards enhancing developer toolsets. By embedding replay features directly into issue alerts, Sentry aims to streamline the debugging process. This focus on developer experience aligns with the goals of platforms like Fly, emphasizing ease of use and practical solutions.
Personal Journey in Tech
Kurt opens up about his personal journey and the accompanying challenges of building Fly while managing life complexities. He shares his experiences with therapy and how it has changed his perspective on work-life balance, hinting at the emotional toll startup life can take. Kurt emphasizes the importance of finding fulfillment in both personal and professional spheres to prevent burnout. This candid reflection illustrates the emotional and psychological dynamics often experienced by founders in the tech industry.
Looking Ahead for Fly
When discussing the future of Fly, Kurt conveys a cautious yet optimistic outlook, noting that the company has a solid foundation and robust operational strategies. Their business sustainability is bolstered by the steady influx of developers seeking to leverage Fly's services. Kurt acknowledges potential challenges presented by market dynamics and competitor monopolies but emphasizes Fly's commitment to delivering valuable, specialized solutions. This strategic positioning aims to maintain relevance and continue growing in a competitive landscape.
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).
Changelog++ members save 10 minutes on this episode because they made the ads disappear. Join today!
Sponsors:
Sentry – When your app breaks, fix it faster with Sentry Use the code CHANGELOG when you sign up to get $100 off the team plan. Learn more about what they shipped for Launch Week and Session Replay for Mobile.
Coder.com – Instantly launch fully configured cloud development environments (CDE) and make your first commit in minutes. No need to traverse README files or await onboarding queues. Learn more at Coder.com
Eight Sleep – Up to $600 off Pod 4 Ultra — Go to eightsleep.com/changelog and use the code CHANGELOG. You can try it for free for 30 days - but we’re confident you will not want to return it (we love ours). Once you experience AI-optimized sleep, you’ll wonder how you ever slept without it. Currently shipping to: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.
Wix Studio – Wix Sudio is for devs who build websites, sell apps, go headless, or manage clients. Integrate, extend and write custom scripts in a VS code-based IDE. Leverage zero set up dev, test and production environments. Ship faster with an AI code assistant. And work with Wix headless API’s on any tech stack.
