Witnessing Kubernetes grow from 1000 to 13,000

Bart: First, who are you? What's your role? And where do you work?

Note: While the transcript doesn't contain any specific technical terms that require hyperlinks based on the provided LINKS table, I noticed the speaker works for Chronosphere.

Katie: I am Katie Greenley. I am the current OSS community manager at Chronosphere. Previously, I was a community outreach manager at CNCF, focused on ecosystem and engagement management.

Bart: Now, Katie, your story with the CNCF goes back quite a way. How did you first come into contact with Kubernetes and the cloud native world?

Katie: When I first started at the CNCF, I was working on the events team. My first contact with Kubernetes was setting up KubeCon Seattle 2016, helping to spearhead that engagement for the community. I remember when the project first got formed, with Dan Kohn being brought in and Chris Aniszczyk helping to be the interim ED at the time—all the chaos of first forming the project and how exciting it was for Kubernetes.

It was this groundbreaking phenomenon that you didn't really realize would become a phenomenon. It was like the beanie baby bubble: everybody was grasping at it, excited for its potential and telling you it was going to be big. I was skeptical, wondering, "Is it really going to be big?"

I was setting up KubeCon Seattle, and people were telling me it would sell out and I didn't have enough space. I was uncertain. Sure enough, we didn't have enough space that first year—which was actually a good thing. It allowed us to expand when we went to Berlin in 2017 and then to Austin later that year, as we realized the incredible demand the community was generating.

Bart: Very good. Going back to thinking about KubeCon in 2016, do you remember how many people attended that KubeCon in Seattle?

Katie: It was a little short of 1,200 people—I want to say around 1,100. This was because we just didn't have the space. We were selling hallway tickets for people to come and be at the booths because we couldn't get people into the rooms due to fire marshal laws. There was such demand that people wanted to be in the hallway talking to people and visiting booths, which was not a typical thing we did at Linux Foundation events. It's not something we've ever done since. It was just something we did to meet the community's demand.

Bart: Seeing this at a very early stage, and looking at the numbers for KubeCon now—we're talking about 12,000 to 13,000 people in much bigger venues—it's fascinating to reflect on the initial buzz. In those early days, people wondered: Is this really going to stick? Is it just a one-off that might happen in the US but not elsewhere? Now, you've seen it scale to different places, with KubeCons in Japan, China, India, and other key regions. You've really witnessed Kubernetes grow from its infancy. And I love the Beanie Baby reference—I'm definitely from that generation.

Katie: I noticed that the transcript snippet you provided is incomplete. Could you share the full transcript or at least a more substantial portion of the conversation? Without more context, I cannot confidently apply the hyperlinking guidelines or identify terms that should be linked.

Bart: Now, the Kubernetes Cloud Native ecosystem moves very quickly. What has worked for you in terms of staying on top of all the changes so that you stay up to date and don't get lost in the noise?

Katie: There is so much going on all the time. We're at 230 plus projects in the CNCF ecosystem at this time. To stay on top of what's happening:

• Join the open TOC calls to hear about technology open to anyone

• Check the latest announcements on the CNCF site

• The Linux Foundation has an excellent PR team that quickly shares updates with the community

For me, KubeCon and CloudNativeCon events are crucial. That's where you get real engagement with the community and learn about new developments through:

• Conference tracks

• Project pavilion kiosks

• Hallway conversations with community members

These conversations reveal new products, upcoming projects, and emerging technologies in the ecosystem. Between conferences, stay informed by:

• Attending TOC meetings

• Joining marketing committee calls (if part of a member company)

• Participating in SIG or TAG open calls

• Reading PR team announcements

Bart: In terms of your interactions, is there anyone in particular you would say was instrumental in helping you level up? Coming from an events background and getting involved in different aspects of the community, who would you single out as one or two people that helped you develop, especially considering the technical skills we all have to learn?

Katie: The first person that comes to mind would be Dan Kohn. He was really pivotal in shaping CNCF in those early days when the sky was the limit. While many people thought it would just be a scheduler, for him, it was going to be everything—so much more than what we even think today.

Working underneath him, he really loved to grow people and give feedback to help them be the best version of themselves. Anytime I interacted with him, he was always pushing me to think about presenting information more clearly or crisply, and to consider my career path: Where did I want to go next? Was events where I wanted to be, or something else? What was I capable of doing?

I believe Dan was instrumental in helping me think about my potential within this ecosystem. He was also crucial in shaping where the ecosystem is today because he truly had a vision of where it was going.

I attribute this greatly to Chris Aniszczyk, who has a great eye for identifying which projects should be part of CNCF. Chris gave me a lot of confidence when I decided to transition into events and community support. He was one of the first people to advocate for me, strongly believing I would excel in that role. Anytime something came up, he'd say, "Don't worry, Katie's got it."

Having people behind you who have confidence in your abilities—especially when you're experiencing imposter syndrome—makes you feel capable of so much more.

Beyond Chris and Dan, the projects team—Fifi, Bob, and George—were incredibly patient. They were willing to teach me about different projects and the technical side, letting me ask countless questions without making me feel stupid for not having a deep technical background. Those individuals truly helped me realize I don't need to know everything to be successful.

Bart: I would echo that in my experience. People who have insisted on being welcoming and letting me know that we should not worry about what you can't do, but focus on the things you can do and where you can contribute. Once you get those experiences and build up confidence, it makes all the difference in realizing that your potential is limitless. Kubernetes can mean very different things depending on who you ask. Katie, what is Kubernetes for you?

Katie: Kubernetes is kind of infinite in the sense that it started out as an idea from Google and was donated to CNCF. They really saw a necessity within cloud native. It launched cloud native to where it is today, but it goes beyond just cloud native. Products were able to emerge from it—from observability to networking, storage, and GitOps—creating infinite areas of growth building off Kubernetes in ways no one thought was possible.

It really became the Linux of cloud native, becoming a standard across everything we do today. Without Kubernetes, I don't think we would be where we are. That's the reality of open source: the hive mentality that many minds are better than one really helps launch technological growth. The standard Kubernetes brought just set the bar, much like Linux did many years ago.

Bart: I like that very much. And I know we touched on this previously with the KubeCon you were involved in initially in 2016, but your background with the CNCF being involved from the very beginning—what did Kubernetes look like in those early days? What stood out to you about its potential? I know you mentioned Dan Kohn's vision and how Chris embodied that. But I want to hear more about the organizations that were there early on. What was that like in terms of the project's scope and its ability to scale, almost 10 years ago?

Katie: 10 years ago, when Kubernetes first became a project, it was supported by many different companies. Significant companies contributed to its success, including Red Hat, Weaveworks, CoreOS, IBM, Cisco, and Google. Many individuals and companies like Apple were involved, driving the project with passion.

Initially, there was uncertainty about Kubernetes—whether it would be a threat or an opportunity from a vendor perspective. Startups began emerging with new ideas, while some enterprises initially took a more cautious approach. In Seattle, the landscape quickly evolved as companies realized they needed to be part of this movement or risk being left behind.

Red Hat launched [OpenShift](https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/cloud-

Bart: Seeing this growth over nearly 10 years, what do you think were the key moments or turning points in its journey from being a new open source project to becoming the dominant force it is today? I know you highlighted the container orchestration wars with Mesos, but in terms of milestones that you witnessed along the way that really stood out, could you name a few of those?

Katie: The biggest milestone was Google donating the project to the CNCF. That signaled a change from the beginning for the project going open source and the need for standardization. The container wars then consolidated the movement into one standard.

The ecosystem had a huge explosion where we saw projects like Helm, Prometheus, Envoy, Istio, and dozens of others gaining footing and flourishing around Kubernetes. The CNCF created a kind of periodic table of the Cloud Native landscape, setting the standard for how and where people can contribute and play within different project categories.

There are now many ways people can be part of the ecosystem, whether in observability, GitOps, storage, or security. It's no longer just a niche area.

The biggest turning point was enterprise adoption. Kubernetes skills became table stakes for SaaS providers, startups, and Fortune 500 companies. It's no longer just about having a Linux background; having Kubernetes skills has become a requirement in many jobs. This was crucial for the project's sustainability.

Bart: That's a great point. We've spoken to organizations that only hire folks with a CKA certification or are in the process of getting that. In the past, we've seen Linux skills being listed, and now we're seeing additional Kubernetes-related skills. We also observe this through our own data and Kube Careers job listings.

Now, from your perspective, what role did CNCF play in shaping the Kubernetes story? How did the community itself evolve as the project scaled globally? We're now talking about over 100,000 people in CNCF Slack, with representation in local community groups, ambassadors, and KCDs from all over the place.

Katie: Walk me through that. It's hard to imagine Kubernetes without CNCF. The CNCF really helped create a neutral space and trust for the community to contribute. It allowed the "many minds are better than one" open source mentality to drive and launch Kubernetes to where it is today.

The CNCF helped provide structure through governance, Code of Conduct, certifications, and community programs like ambassadors, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), tags, and KCDs that bring the community together in multifaceted ways. They are always driving to support the community and provide the best tools for growth.

We've seen this especially in the last two years with Chris joining the CNCF and the emergence of new certifications. These include platform engineering, Argo certification, and others that aren't just focused on Kubernetes, but on the broader cloud native ecosystem.

There's a growing demand to be certified and support the community in these areas. In five years, if you're not certified in Kubernetes, GitOps, Argo, or another technical specialization, you'll likely struggle to find an engineering job.

The CNCF also helps amplify the community globally through events like KubeCon, Cloud Native Con, Cloud Native Security Con, Open Observability Day, and gRPC Conf. They support not just Kubernetes, but all projects that support the Kubernetes ecosystem.

Without the CNCF, there would have been chaos. While some people have mixed feelings about their governance, it's incredibly challenging to manage a global community with diverse, strong opinions. The CNCF maintains neutrality, bringing voices together and pushing the ecosystem forward with minimal friction, continuously listening to the community and bringing in projects that grow its global presence and sustainability.

Bart: For someone coming into the Kubernetes ecosystem now, what would you say is the most important context to understand about the bigger picture? People can get bogged down in minor differences or misinterpretations, despite good intentions. How can knowing the history—going back to when the project was donated by Google in 2014, the participation of different end users, and the work that's gone into this—help them navigate their own journey, regardless of how they end up joining the ecosystem?

Katie: The ecosystem today can be overwhelming. Kubernetes itself is still not easy to learn. Recognizing the history of the community and the project is key. The biggest portion is the community itself.

Kubernetes and its community value openness, standards, and collaboration. Anyone in the community is willing to help someone. Coming into the community can feel daunting—you might wonder where to start, which project to contribute to, what the acronyms mean, who to ask for help, or whether you're technical enough.

Know that you're not alone in feeling overwhelmed. You can post questions in Slack channels like the new contributor channel, saying, "I'm new" or "I got stuck while contributing." Anyone helping in the ecosystem will jump in to assist because the community wants to see each other succeed, build each other up, and help newcomers find their footing.

Whether through technical or non-technical contributions, whether joining the Kubernetes SIG release team or the Argo project, there's always someone willing to help. Just ask.

This community values collaboration, transparency, openness, being solution-oriented, and experimenting. These values trace back to Kubernetes' origins—a tight-knit community focused on openness, collaboration, experimentation, and problem-solving. And that spirit remains true today.

Bart: Looking back from Kubernetes' early days to where it is now, what's one insight or lesson that you'd want every newcomer to carry with them? Something that you would say that captures the bigger picture of why this ecosystem matters.

Katie: I think this ecosystem matters. The one lesson I carry with me is from 2020, when we all went into shutdown. People could have stepped back and given up on contributing, and no one would have faulted them. However, this CNCF community really persevered and continued.

We still had virtual events bringing in 20,000 to 26,000 people who wanted to learn and grow together. In that moment, I realized this was more than just technology. This was about the community and what it means and brings to each individual beyond contributing and driving technology forward.

It's about how the community supports you in your career, as an individual, and how they are there for you in times of need. When you're part of an open source community, especially one as big as cloud native and CNCF, you're making tight-knit friendships and connections that go beyond project contributions.

These become lifelong friendships. I can say this about many colleagues I met from CNCF—I still talk to them daily, from my transition to Chronosphere. We discuss everything from personal matters to seeking advice about contributing.

These people are pivotal. The key lesson is that it's not just about the technology—it's about the people.