The Business of Open Source

HashiCorp’s Co-Founder and CTO, Armon Dadgar, joins me for a conversation on Cloud Native Startup.In this episode, we focus on open source and how it serves as the core to HashiCorp’s identity. We also explore Armon’s journey towards founding HashiCorp with Mitchell Hashimoto and what the future holds as they both lean into their respective passions. Learn a few keys to cultivating a successful open source community, why some companies don’t rely on this success, his lessons learned, and more.Highlights:A  look at Armon’s role as Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer and what sparked the decision to build HashiCorp alongside Mitchell Hashimoto. (00:13)Armon shares why HashiCorp began as open source and how that developed into a company. (4:46)How an open source community compares to a paid community - and Armon’s take on bootstraping an open source company. (11:23)Why creating an open source project directly from a closed source project is not the best strategy. (14:43)Keys to building a successful open source community and why this is vital to HashiCorp.(18:14)Armon shares lessons learned during the early days of HashiCorp - and his thoughts on the complexities of being a founder. (23:15)How Mitchell’s decision to step back as an individual contributor allows him to focus on his passion - and more on why they chose to monetize HashiCorp. (29:30)Links:ArmonTwitter: https://twitter.com/armonGitHub: https://github.com/armonLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armon-dadgar/HashiCorpWebsite: https://www.hashicorp.com/Twitter: www.twitter.com/hashicorp

Neil Cresswell, co-founder of Portainer, joins me this week on Cloud Native Startup. In this episode, we talk about the evolution of Neil’s fascinating career, which began at age 17, and how it led to Portainer. We also discuss Portainer’s core ethos of simplicity, open source product, Neil’s predictions on Kubernetes, and more.Highlights:Neil recounts how he went from self-employed to co-founding Portainer. (00:19)A look at who Portainer was originally built for and the moment he realized it would be a commercial entity. (08:09).Neil dives into the three elements to success in open source product. (11:56)Neil’s advice for someone working on an open source - and a look back at his consulting experience. (14:54)Neil’s shares his lessons learned along his journey - and breaks down some differences in his past and present roles. (20:08)How Neil’s team ensures simplicity - and his Kubernetes predictions. (25:09)Neil shares some of the everyday challenges and advantages of working across different timezones. (29:19)Links:NeilLinkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ncresswellTwitter: twitter.com/neilc_cloudPortainerWebsite: Portainer.io Twitter: twitter.com/portainer.io

Michael Hyatt joins me on this episode of Cloud Native Startup. Not only is Michael a leading tech investor and philanthropist, but he also ranks as one of Canada’s top entrepreneurs. In this episode, Michael provides a wealth of knowledge as he shares invaluable tips for aspiring, new, and current founders. We also discuss the early stages of founding companies with his brother Richard, the mentality behind hiring your weakness, the phenomenal impact of computing, and much more. In this episode, we cover:Michael’s take on why starting a company with his brother was a powerful and successful business move. (00:15)The power of computing - and the awful truth about technology. (4:12)The importance of being able to pivot and hire your weakness. (8:18)What Michael looks for when he is investing in a company. (17:27)The impact computing has on new companies now vs 20 years ago. (20:24)Michael reflects on the moment he knew success was on the horizon - and how his inferiority complex played a role. (26:07)The challenges of creating a company built around technology. (28:49)Why you need marque customers. (32:24)Michael’s advice to founders. (35:47)Links:Michael HyattLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhyatt1Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhyattoffice

J.J. Guy, Co-founder and CEO of Sevco Security, joins me this week on Cloud Native Startup. In this episode, J.J. breaks down Sevco Security and the IT security ecosystem. We also discuss challenges, lessons learned, building a solid team culture and more.Highlights:Introduction to Sevco and how it fits into the security product ecosystem. (:0016)What creates friction across the entire IT organization and why it is taken for granted. (5:05)J.J. shares ideas that he considered but then ultimately rejected and what he would have done differently. (10:39)The fascinating challenges around enterprise products in security. (17:44)Key lessons learned and how J.J. applies them to Sevco Security. (22:50)The challenges of developing a new product in a new market segment. (27:23)Links:J.J. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjguy/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjguy Sevco SecurityWebsite: https://sevcosecurity.com/

This week on Cloud Native Startup, I am joined by William Morgan, CEO of Buoyant, Inc. In this episode, William talks about his beginnings as a software engineer at Twitter and his transition towards starting and running his own company. We also discuss how rewriting Linkerd enhanced its core value of simplicity, the blessing and curse of open source, his advice to his younger self, and more.In this episode, we cover:Who is the CEO of Buoyant? William Morgan shares his background. (00:14)The story behind Linkerd and how it came into existence. (1:40)Building a company around Linkerd - and monetizing an open source project. (3:43)William’s thoughts on the open-core model. (7:52)The evolution of Buoyant: Building the long-term future of the business. (9:08)Lessons learned and advice to William’s younger self. (13:48)Deep dive into the process of simplifying Linkerd to reach its core value. (17:34)Istio or Linkerd? William’s take on deciding what is right for you. (23:26)The blessing and curse of open source. (27:03)William reflects on his journey as an engineer to starting and running a company:  (32:00)Links:William MorganLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wmorganTwitter: https://twitter.com/wmBuoyantWebsite: https://buoyant.io Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuoyantIOLinkerdWebsite: https://buoyant.io/linkerd/Linkerd Twitter: https://twitter.com/Linkerd

David Friend, co-founder and CEO of Wasabi Technologies, Inc. writes the rules of his own success. With 7 companies under his belt, David continues to be an impactful maverick entrepreneur. In this episode, David and I talk about the evolution of his journey, which started off in the music industry, and how it led him to found a cloud data storage company. Join us for more on this week’s episode of Cloud Data Startup.Highlights:The evolution of David’s companies from the very beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. (00:30)David compares running a synthesizer company to a cloud storage company. (5:42)How careful hiring allows David to focus on his strengths. (10:18)David shares why price and simplicity are the two most important ingredients in selling. (13:50)The influence of data storage and AI and how it has changed the mindset of customers over time. (16:59)David's philosophy on running a business and the joys of conducting the orchestra of his company. (20:46)Advice for first-time founders. (22:18)David’s philosophy on raising money as an entrepreneur. (24:47)Links:DavidLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-friend-3660832/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wasabi_daveWasabi Technologies Inc.Website: https://wasabi.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wasabi_cloud

This week, Swaroop Jagadish, co-founder of Acryl Data, takes us through his journey from quitting his day job as an engineer to founding his first startup company alongside Shirshanka Das. Swaroop also shares his insights on Acryl Data’s business model and the advantages and challenges of building an open source project-based company. Tune in for more on Swaroop and Acryl Data in this episode of Cloud Native Startup.HighlightsHow Swaroop created Acryl Data and the story behind the name. (00:42)Lessons Swaroop learned on his journey towards becoming a startup founder. (6:52)Swaroop reflects on the challenges of building an open source project-based company. (10:31)How Acryl Data’s core ethos aligns with LinkedIn (12:49)The unique advantages of Acryl Data’s business model. (14:03)The scariest part of the startup journey. (16:27)Swaroop’s thoughts on approaching the modern data ecosystem. (17:32)Acryl Data’s use-cases. (20:12)Swaroop’s insights on building an open-source company and generally, as a first-time founder (27:32)Links:Swaroop:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swaroopjagadishAcryl DataWebsite: https://www.acryldata.io/Twitter: https://twitter.com/acryldataData Hub Project Website: https://datahubproject.io/Data Hub Slack Community: https://datahubspace.slack.com

Dhiraj Sharan, CEO and founder of Query.AI, joins me this week on Cloud Native Startup. With a career that spans over 20 years in cybersecurity, Dhiraj has seen the swift adoption of multi-cloud environments and SaaS apps. In this episode, Dhiraj discusses the importance of evolving your product as the world changes and why you should ask yourself, “How can I be innovative for the next layer?” Dhiraj also gives his younger self advice on the cybersecurity game of chess and much more. HighlightsWhat led Dhiraj to pursue Query.AI? (0:23)Dhiraj shares ideas that he ultimately didn’t pursue (3:52)The importance of evolving and the layers of innovation. (5:30)The difference between being a founder and being an early employee. (8:52)Advice Dhiraj would give himself if he could go back 20 years. (10:19)Dhiraj’s advice on building a company. (11:52)Security team budgets and creating an ROI calculator. (13:11)Query.AI’s “unique” struggle. (18:47)CSO’s general response to Query.AI. (20:03)Dhiraj reflects on lessons learned and the importance of understanding your customer. (21:48)Dhiraj on the entrepreneur in everyone. (23:32)Links:Dhiraj: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhirajsharanTwitter: https://twitter.com/dhirajsharanQuery.AI:Website: https://query.aiTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/query_ai

Anurag Goel, Founder and CEO of Render, joins me on this episode of Cloud Native Startup. Learn about his beginnings at Stripe as employee #8, the birth of Render and how it solved a gap in the market, and his lessons learned while transitioning roles. We also discuss how open source fits into business strategy and much more.In this episode, we cover:Anurag and how he founded Render (00:27) Lessons learned while transitioning professional focus from engineering at Stripe to strategic business (05:42)Anurag’s advice for people who want to transition into larger business roles (11:11)The evolution of Render and its market and use case (13:57)The important role of open source in the developer tool ecosystem (19:46)Why Anurag chose to make Render open source  (22:11)Strategies for making open source part of your platform (22:51)How open source fits into business strategy (23:55)Links:Anurag: www.twitter.com/anuraggoelRenderWebsite: https://render.com/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/render

This week on Cloud Native Startup, I talked with Wei Dang, founder of cloud native security company StackRox which was acquired by RedHat in 2020. Highlights: How Wei met his co-founder and how the two of them saw the need for new types of security tools. Why talking to people throughout the Kubernetes ecosystem led to a series of a realizations that security in a cloud native world was going to me an increasingly important part of the conversations as more people adopted Kubernetes. Where the name StackRox came from. How even understanding if there was a market for a container security product. The moments wondering ‘are we building the right product’ was the scary. Why it’s important to focus at the beginning. How StackRox evolved from container security to Kubernetes security as the broader conversation shifted and the industry consolidated around Kubernetes. The moment Wei felt like there was product-market fit for StackRox. How Wei would define Kubernetes Security. The ways in which starting and growing a company forced Wei to learn new skills and gain knowledge. Why community is so important for companies in the Kubernetes ecosystem. How things have changed — and how they haven’t — since becoming part of Red Hat. Linkshttps://twitter.com/weiliendanghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/weiliendang/