(gentle upbeat music)
>> Hello everyone,
and welcome back to KubeCon
CloudNativeCon here in Detroit, Michigan.
My name is Savannah Peterson,
joined with John Furrier.
John, we are in the meat of the conference.
>> It's really in crunch time,
day two of three days of wall-to-wall coverage
and this next guest is running the show at CNCF,
the OG and been in the community doing a great job.
I'm looking forward to this segment.
>> Me too.
I'm even wearing...
You may notice,
I am in my CNCF tee,
and I actually brought my tee from last year
for those of you.
And the reason I brought it, actually,
I want to use this to help introduce our next guest
is the theme last year was resistance realized,
and I think that KubeCon this year is
an illustration of that resistance realized.
Please welcome Priyanka Sharma to the show.
Priyanka, thank you so much for being here with us.
>> Thank you for having me. >> This is your show.
How are you feeling right now?
What does it feel like to be here?
>> It's all of our show.
I am just another participant,
but I am so happy to be here.
I think this is our third
hybrid in person back event.
And the whole ecosystem,
we seem to have gotten into the groove now.
You know, the first one we did,
was in LA >> Savannah: Yes.
>> Where you have that shirt from.
Then we went to Valencia,
and now here in Detroit
I could sense the ease in the attendees.
I can sense that it just feels great
for everyone to be here. >> Savannah: Yeah.
>> And you guys, who were face to face in LA,
but this is really kind of back face to face,
somewhat normalized, right? >> Priyanka: Yeah.
>> And so that's a lot of feedback there.
What's your reaction?
Because the community's changed
so much in three years, >> Savannah: Yes.
>> Even two years, even last year.
Where do you see it now?
Because there's so much more work to do,
but it feels like it's just getting started,
but also at the same time it feels like
people are celebrating at the same time.
>> Yeah. >> Kubernetes is mainstream,
CloudNative at scale.
>> Savannah: That feels like a celebration.
>> People are talking about developer...
more developers coming on board,
more traction, more scale,
more interoperability, just a lot of action.
What's your thoughts?
>> I think you're absolutely right
that we are just getting started.
I've been part of many open source movements
and communities.
This is...
I think this is something special
where we have our flagship project considered mainstream,
but yet so much to be done right over there.
I mean, you've seen announcements
around more and more vendors coming
to support the project in, you know,
the boring but essential ways
that happened I think this week,
just today, I think.
And so Kubernetes continues to garner support and energy,
which is unique in the ecosystem, right?
Because once something becomes mainstream, normally,
it's like, "Okay, boring."
(John laughs)
But that's happening.
And I think the reason for that is CloudNative.
It's built upon Kubernetes
and so much more than Kubernetes.
>> We have 140 plus projects >> Absolutely.
>> and folks have a choice
to contribute to something totally cutting edge
or something that's, you know, used by everyone.
So, the diversity of options
and room for innovation at the same time
means this is just the beginning.
>> And also projects are coming together too.
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> You're starting to see formation,
you're starting to see some defacto alignment.
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> You're starting to see the- >> Priyanka: Clustering.
>> Some visibility into how
the big moves are being playing out,
almost the harvesting of that hard work.
>> Priyanka: Yes, I do think there is consolidation,
but I would definitely say
that there's consolidation and innovation.
>> John: Yeah.
>> And that is something...
I genuinely have not seen this before.
I think there are definitely areas
we're all really focusing on.
I talked a lot about security in my keynote
because it continues to gain importance in CloudNative,
whether that is through projects or through practices.
The same, I did not mention this in my keynote,
but around like, you know,
continuous delivery generally the software delivery cycle,
there's a lot coming together happening there.
And, you know, >> John: Yeah.
>> many other spaces.
So, absolutely right.
>> Let's dig in a little bit actually,
because I'm curious.
You get to see these 140 plus projects.
>> Yes.
>> What are some of the other trends
that you're seeing,
especially now, as we're feeling this momentum
around Kubernetes?
The excitement is back in the ecosystem.
>> Yes.
So, so much happening.
But I would definitely say
that like the underlying basis
of all these projects, right?
I brought that up in my keynote,
is the maintainers.
And I think the maintainer group,
is the talent keeps thriving and growing,
the load on them is very heavy though.
>> Savannah: Yeah.
>> And I do think there's a lot more we all company,
the companies around us need to do
to support these people,
because the innovation they're bringing is unprecedented.
Besides Kubernetes,
which has its own cool stuff all the time.
I think I'm particularly excited
about the Argo projects.
>> Savannah: Yeah.
>> So, they're the quadruplets as I like to call them.
Right?
Because there's four of them within the Argo banner.
I had Yuan from Argo
on my keynote actually.
>> Savannah: Oh, nice.
>> Alongside Hiba from Kubernetes.
And we talked about their maintainer journey.
And it's interesting.
Totally different projects.
Same asks, you know,
which is more support
and time from employers,
more ways to build up contributors
and ultimately they love the CNCF marketing supports.
>> That Argo project's really in a great umbrella.
There are a lot of action going on.
Arlon, I saw that.
Got some traction.
A lot of great stuff.
The question I want to ask you,
and I want to get your reaction to this,
you know, we always go to a lot of events with theCUBE
and you can always tell the vibrant
of the ecosystem when you see developers doing stuff,
projects going on.
But when you start seeing the commercialization
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> The news briefings coming out of this show feels a lot
like reinvent,
like it's like a tsunami.
I've never seen this much news.
Everyone's got a story, they got announcing products.
>> Savannah: That was a lot of news.
That's a great point, John.
>> There was a lot of flow even from the CNCF.
>> Yeah.
>> What's your reaction to that?
I mean like
to me it's a tell sign of activity, certainly,
>> Right.
>> And engagement.
>> Right.
>> But there's real proof coming out,
real visibility into the value propositions,
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> rendering itself with real products.
What's your reaction to the news flow?
>> Absolutely.
I think it's market proof, like you said, right?
>> Savannah: Yeah.
>> That we have awesome technologies that are useful
to lots of people around the world.
And I think that, I hope this continues to increase.
And with the bite basket of project portfolios
that's what I hope to see.
CNCF itself will continue supporting the maintainers
with things like conformance programs
which are really essential when you are...
when you have people building products on top
of your projects
and other initiatives so that
the technological integrity remains solid
while innovation keeps happening.
>> I know from a little birdie, Brendan, good friend of mine
that you had a board meeting today.
>> Priyanka: Yes. >> And I am curious
because I hope I'm not going out about an assumption
I imagine that room is full of passionate people.
>> Priyanka: Absolutely.
>> CNCF board would be a wild one.
(Priyanka laughs)
What are the priorities
for the board between now and KubeCon next year?
>> Sure. So the CNCF governing board is an over...
It's like an oversight body.
And their focus is on working with us
on the executive team to make sure
that we have the right game plan for the foundation.
They tend to focus on the business decisions,
things such as how do we manage our budget,
how do we deploy it, and what are the initiatives?
And that's always their priority.
But because this is CloudNative
and we are all technologists who love our projects,
>> Savannah: Yeah. >> we also engage closely
with the technical oversight committee who was
in the said meeting that we just talked about.
And so lots of discussions are around project health,
sustainability.
How do we keep moving?
Because as you said, Kubernetes is going mainstream
but it's still cool.
There are all these other cool things.
It's a lot going on, right?
>> Savannah: Yeah.
You got a lot of balls in the air.
It's complex decision making and balancing of priorities.
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> John: And demands, stakeholders.
You have how many stakeholders?
Every project, every person, every company.
>> Everyone's a stakeholder.
You're a stakeholder, too.
>> And a hundred...
I mean, I love how community focused you are.
Obviously we're here to talk about the community.
You have contributors from 187 different countries.
>> Priyanka: It's one of the things I'm the most proud of.
>> Savannah: It's...
Yeah.
It gives me all the feels as a community builder as well.
>> Priyanka: Yeah.
>> What an accomplishment
and supporting community members
in those different environments must be so dynamic
for you and the team.
>> Absolutely,
and it behooves us to think globally
in how we solve problems.
Even when we introduce programs.
My first question is, are we by accident being,
let's say, default U.S.
or are we being default Europe, whatever it may be
because we really got to think about the whole world.
>> John: It's global culture, it's a global village.
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> And I think global now more than ever is so important.
And, the Ukraine
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> discussion on the main stage was awesome.
I love how you guys did that
because this is impacting the technology.
We need the diverse input.
Now I made a comment yesterday that it's going to make...
it might slow things down.
I meant as is more diversity, there's more conversations.
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> But once people get aligned and committed,
that's where the magic happens.
Share your thoughts on the global diversity,
why it's important, how things are made,
how decisions are made.
What's the philosophy?
Because there's more to get your arms around.
>> Yes, absolutely.
It may seem harder or slower or whatever
but once it gets done,
aligned and committed,
the product's better, everything's better.
>> Priyanka: Yes, absolutely.
I think the more people involved,
the better it is for sure.
Especially from a robustness resilience perspective.
Because you know, as they say, sunlight makes bugs shallow.
That's because the more eyes on something
the faster people will solve problems,
fix bugs and make,
you know, look for security, vulnerability, solve all that.
So especially in those areas, I think,
where you want to be more resilient,
the more the people, the better it is.
A hundred percent.
And then when it comes to direct technical direction
and choosing a path, I think that's where, you know
it's the role of the maintainers.
And as I was saying
there's only a thousand audit maintainers
for 140 plus projects, right?
So they are catering-
>> Wow, they have a lot of responsibility.
>> Right.
>> Serious amount of responsibility.
>> It's crazy.
I know.
And we have to do everything we can for those people
because they are the ones who set the vision,
set the direction, and then 176,000 plus contributors
follow their lead.
So we have...
I think, the bright mechanisms of contribution
and collaboration in a global way are in place.
And we keep chugging along
and doing better and better each year.
>> What's next for you guys?
You got the EU of show coming out,
>> Priyanka: Correct, Amsterdam.
the economy looking,
I don't see your recession for technology, but that's me.
I'm Polish on tech.
Yeah, there's some layoffs going on,
some cleaning up,
overinflated expectations on valuations of startups,
but I don't see this stopping or slowing down.
But what's your take?
>> Priyanka: Yeah, I mean, as I said in my keynote, right?
Open source usage soars in times of turmoil
and financial turmoil is one example of that.
So we are expecting growth and heavy growth
this year, next year and onwards.
And in fact, going back to the whole maintainer journey,
now is a time there's even more pressure on them
and companies as they manage their, you know,
workforces and prioritization,
they really need to remember
they're building products off of open source.
They are...
This is open sources on which
what their business realize,
whether they're a vendor or end user
and give maintainers a space
time to work on what they need to work on.
>> Yeah.
They need a little work-life balance.
I mean the self-care there,
I can't even imagine the complexity
of the decision matrix in their mind.
Speaking of that,
and obviously you...
Culture must be a huge part
of how you lead these teams.
How do you approach that as leader?
>> I think the number one...
So the foundation is a very small set of staff,
just so you know.
>> Savannah: I was actually...
Let's tell the audience, how many people are on the team?
>> Priyanka: You know, it's actually a difficult question
because we have folks who like spin up and down
and we have matrix support
from the Linux Foundation,
but about 30 people in total are dedicated to CNCF
at any given time. >> Savannah: Wow.
>> But compared...
>> Savannah: You all do hard work.
>> Yes.
>> Savannah: You're doing great.
I am impressed.
>> It's a flat organization. >> It's pretty flat.
>> Seriously, it's beautiful.
>> It's actually in some ways very similar to the projects
and there the, you know, contribution communities there
where it's like everyone kind of like steps up
and does what needs to be done,
which is wonderful and beautiful,
but with the responsibility on our shoulders,
it's definitely a balancing act.
So first off, it is, I ask everyone to have some grace
for the staff.
They are in a startup land with no IPO on the other side
of the rainbow.
They're doing it because they love
love, love this community and technology so much.
>> John: Yeah.
Yeah, and then also they're acknowledging
that nobody in open source wants to see a bureaucracy.
>> Priyanka: Right.
>> I mean, everyone see lean, efficient.
>> Savannah: Yeah, absolutely John.
It's great.
It's a great point.
And and I think that it's just...
It's amazing what passionate people can do if
given the opportunity.
Let's talk a little bit about
the literal event that we're at right now.
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> Theme today,
building for the road ahead.
>> Priyanka: Yes.
>> What was the inspiration for that?
>> Detroit.
(group laughs)
We're in Detroit, people drive here.
>> Savannah: In case you didn't know,
cars have been made in this city.
>> Motor city.
>> It's everywhere being here in this city,
which is awesome.
>> But you know, it did...
There was of course a geographical element
but it also aligns with where we're at, right?
>> Savannah: Yeah. >> We're building
for the road ahead,
which frankly given the changes going on
in the world is a bumpy road.
So it's important to talk about it.
And that's what the theme was.
>> And how many folks have shown up...
This is a totally different energy
from Los Angeles last year.
I'm sure we can both agree.
Everyone was excited last year,
but this is an order of magnitude.
>> Yes.
>> How many folks do you think are milling around?
>> Yeah, it's much more than double of Los Angeles.
We are close to 8,000.
>> Savannah: That's amazing.
And it's so...
You're absolutely right.
The energy is just...
>> Savannah: Way up.
>> It's so good.
People are enjoying themselves.
It's been lovely.
>> That's great.
So you're feeling good?
You're riding the high?
>> Congratulations. >> Awesome.
>> Yeah, thank you.
I mean, I'm a little bit of a zombie right now.
(group laughs)
>> You don't look it, we wouldn't know.
Nobody knows.
They don't know.
>> If you want to take a break,
We got 12 interviews tomorrow.
(Savannah and Priyanka laughing)
You can co-host with us.
We'd love to have you.
>> Exactly.
You're welcome anytime.
Welcome anytime, Priyanka.
>> Well thank you.
But no, it's been such a wonderful show
and you folks are part of the reason you say everybody here
is contributing to the awesomeness.
>> John: Yep. >> You're part of it.
Look at your smiley faces.
>> John: And Lisa Marty is over there.
Lisa's over there.
>> Yes!
>> Say hi to Lisa and team.
>> Yes, the team is awesome.
>> Guys, thank you for your support for theCUBE.
We really appreciate it.
We enjoy it a lot.
And we love the community.
Thank you.
>> Yes.
Thank you for your support for CloudNative.
>> Thank you.
>> One last thing I just want to point out,
because it's not always it happens in this industry.
The women outnumber the men on this stage right now.
>> John: Proud of that?
>> And I know the diversity
and inclusion is a priority for CNCF.
>> Priyanka: Top priority.
>> Yeah.
Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
>> Yes.
It is something at the forefront of my mind,
no matter what we do.
And it's because I have such great role models.
You know, when I was just a participant in the ecosystem,
Dan Conn was leading the foundation
and he took it so seriously to always try to uplift people
from a diverse backgrounds and bring those faces
into CloudNative.
>> Savannah: Yes.
>> And he made a serious lasting impact.
>> John: Yes.
>> And I am not going to let that go to waste.
It's not going to be me who drops the ball.
(group laughs)
>> We're behind you all the way.
>> Right?
>> We see improvement over here.
>> We got your back.
>> I mean, even from an attendance perspective on stage
I feel like you've done just an outstanding job
with the curation and representation.
I don't say that lightly.
It really matters to me.
But even in the audience looking around, it's so refreshing.
Even it sounds silly.
The shirts are more fitted.
>> It's not silly.
>> There's different types of shirts,
and I mean, you know how it is.
We've been in this industry long enough.
>> It's a shirt you want to wear.
>> Savannah: Exactly.
And that's the whole point.
I absolutely love it.
Have we announced a location
for KubeCon North America 2023, yet?
>> It's Chicago.
>> Savannah: Exciting!
>> Yes.
>> Savannah: All right.
So we'll be seeing you
>> Midwest. >> not that far away.
>> This is the first time I've said this publicly,
I just realized,
It's Chicago, people. >> The scoop, yay!
>> Oh, I feel so lucky we got to break the scoop.
I was learning from John's lead there
and I'm very excited.
Amsterdam, Chicago.
It's going to be absolutely
>> I'll get my hotel now. >> Fantastic.
>> Yes.
>> Smart move.
Everybody listen to him.
>> Yeah, right?
Especially after Detroit.
It's actually not a...
It's not a bad move.
Priyanka, is there anything else you'd like to say to folks?
Maybe they're thinking about coming
or contributing to the ecosystem?
>> Priyanka: Yes.
Anyone and everyone can and should contribute and join us.
The maintainers are holding us all up.
Let's rally to support them.
We have more and more programs to do that.
As you know, we did ContribFest here this week
which was the first time.
So we will help you get involved so you're not on your own.
So that's my number one message,
which is anyone and everyone, you're welcome here.
We'll make sure you have a good time.
So just come.
>> Okay.
Please do it.
>> I can tell you that Priyanka is not blowing smoke.
I feel very welcome here.
This community has welcomed me as a non-technical,
so I think you're absolutely preaching the truth.
Priyanka, thank you so much for being here
with us today on the show,
for helping herd the cats
and wrangle the brilliant minds that make CNCF possible.
And honestly for just bringing your energy
and joy to the entire experience.
John, thank you for hanging out with me.
>> I'm glad I can contribute in a small way.
>> I was going to say...
I was going to say thank you
for founding theCUBE so that we could be here
in this little marriage and collaboration can be possible.
And thank all of you
for tuning in to theCUBE here, live from Detroit, Michigan.
My name is Savannah Peterson.
I am thrilled to be sharing this content with you today
and I hope to see you
for the rest of our interviews this afternoon.
(gentle upbeat music)