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.