Screaming in the Cloud

Avery Pennarun, co-founder and CEO of Tailscale, is a veteran software engineer revolutionizing secure networking. He shares how Tailscale transforms VPNs into user-friendly tools and tackles AI security with zero-click authentication. Avery discusses the chaos of running multiple tailnets and the challenges of scaling during rapid growth. He introduces TSIDP for effortless OAuth and talks about bridging the gap between personal and corporate networks. Expect insights sprinkled with humor on making security both powerful and approachable.

Jeremy Price, VP of Technology at Grokability and key player behind the Snipe-IT open source project, shares insights on building a sustainable business model without VC pressure. He discusses how Grokability prioritizes product quality over explosive growth and the importance of customer relationships when they pay for software. Jeremy highlights the success of running thousands of separate installations and the joy of creating 'boring' yet profitable tools that meet real needs without succumbing to market hype.

In this engaging discussion, Keith Townsend, founder of The CTO Advisor and an expert in cloud and AI, reveals the stark contrast between AI hype and its real-world application. He shares a cautionary tale about a biopharma company's rejection of Microsoft Copilot, highlighting enterprise fear of reputational risk. Keith also explores how AI has boosted his personal productivity tenfold, while cautioning that enterprises treat powerful tools like 'radioactive material.' The conversation touches on AI’s strengths in productivity but warns of its limitations in judgment, underscoring the challenges enterprises face in adoption.

Dev Rishi, GM of AI at Rubrik and a former machine learning CEO, shares insights on enterprise AI adoption and the evolution of agentic systems. He discusses the challenges enterprises face with AI, emphasizing the gap between consumer excitement and organizational risk aversion. Dev introduces Rubrik's innovative Agent Rewind, a safety net for AI-driven actions, helping prevent costly data loss. The conversation also covers trends in AI support, the importance of observability, and the role of governance in ensuring resilience in this rapidly changing landscape.

André Arko, CEO of Spinel Cooperative and longtime Bundler maintainer, discusses RV, a groundbreaking Ruby tool that installs Ruby in one second using precompiled binaries. He dives into the challenges of Ruby dependency management, contrasting RV with legacy tools like RVM and rbenv. André addresses misconceptions about Ruby's relevance, critiques Apple's outdated Ruby shipping in macOS, and shares his journey from nonprofit struggles to building a sustainable cooperative model that charges companies for expertise in open source.

Anneka Gupta, Chief Product Officer at Rubrik, shares her expertise in data security and cyber resilience. She discusses the evolution of backup into modern cyber recovery, emphasizing the need for organizations to prioritize recovery simulations amidst increasing ransomware threats. Gupta highlights the importance of the 'assume breach' strategy and how attacking backups has become a common tactic in cyber warfare. With AI's role in enhancing recovery operations, she illustrates how a unified platform can mitigate risks in multi-cloud environments.

Deana Solis, a seasoned FinOps engineer and 2022 FinOps Foundation Evangelist of the Year, shares her fascinating journey from electrical engineering to healthcare IT. She discusses why cloud certifications are often performative and the dramatic impact AI can have on AWS billing. Delving into cloud repatriation, she humorously critiques conspiracy theories surrounding it. Deana emphasizes the importance of communication between engineering and finance teams, making FinOps both relatable and engaging.

In this conversation with Chris Weichel, CTO of Ona, they delve into the exciting future of software development with AI agents at the helm. Chris shares insights on the rebranding from Gitpod to Ona, emphasizing the shift towards agent-driven coding. He discusses the essential role of safe, isolated environments for these agents and the fascinating 'five slot machines' effect of multi-agent workflows. With his expertise, he highlights the potential of machine-readable interfaces and how AI is redefining developer tools and productivity.

Brian Scanlan, Senior Principal Engineer at Intercom, discusses the company's migration from AWS Aurora to PlanetScale, driven by challenges with scalability and operational pain from 13 clusters. He shares insights on Intercom's transition to AI chatbots post-ChatGPT, emphasizing their role in enhancing human support. Beyond databases, Brian highlights the shrinking talent pipeline for systems engineers and the effectiveness of Intercom's volunteer-based on-call model, enhancing both operations and recruitment. A fascinating dive into tech evolution at Intercom!

Harjot Gill, CEO and co-founder of CodeRabbit, discusses how AI is transforming code reviews. He shares insights on building the most-installed AI app on GitHub, highlighting the inefficiencies of traditional code review processes and the challenges posed by AI-generated code. Gill explains how CodeRabbit uses innovative cloud architecture to enhance efficiency and navigate the complexities of code reviews. He also delves into balancing feedback from AI tools and the strategic advantages of using Google Cloud for startups.