8 on K8s with Álvaro Agea

Oct 7, 2022

Welcome to our series 8 on K8s where we interview interesting people in the Kubernetes community. In fact, check out our previous one with Matt Moore. If you’d like to be featured or know someone who’d be a great fit, tweet us and spread the love. 

Álvaro is an innovative product and technology leader who is passionate about empowering engineers with efficient and effective solutions. He is at the forefront of the cloud native movement. Open source, advanced, and emerging technologies have been a consistent focus through Nalej, Novelti, Strands, or Stratio.

What’s the last book you read?

I have found it to be a difficult book to classify, but my last read has been When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut, which I believe is one of the best physics books to date, a great read for those interested in science mixed with literature told through an assortment of intelligent short stories.

What problem are you trying to solve?

I have personally experienced the difficulty of developing cloud applications, struggling with projects that constantly require the involvement of experienced engineers. Not only is the infrastructure growing in complexity, but the cost to put applications into production is also skyrocketing. At Napptive, we have created a platform that simplifies this process, allowing the teams to focus on creating and deploying apps in cloud native environments at a faster speed, and without the burden of requiring specialized skills to put their apps into production.

What’s an interesting trend you’ve observed in our industry?

We have been keenly following projects such as OAM, which gives the capability to create models that help developers describe applications using a cloud-agnostic language. The Open Application Model community is trying to give an answer to this issue.

What’s the last thing you read about our industry that got you really fired up?

The Kubernetes haters, the only argument against Kubernetes is that it isn’t a silver bullet; that is true. But it is a fact that Kubernetes has changed how we manage the infrastructure and deployment of our applications.

What do you do that helps you maintain balance in your life?

Spending quality time with my family, they are the pillar in my life and what keeps my feet firmly grounded. Killing Zombies in DayZ also helps.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

Leaving the comfort of working for big tech and launching my own company. Having the backing of long-time colleagues and friends has made it easier, but I think any entrepreneur feels the dizziness that comes with launching your own company.

Who do you look up to in the industry?

In the space of Kubernetes, people like Sebastian Scheele, from Kubermatic, or Mark Boost from Civo, have created incredible products that are leading the way for the industry to follow.

Can you hold two contradictory thoughts in your mind simultaneously without feeling uncomfortable?

Absolutely, it is impossible to work in a tech startup without facing situations that force you to do this. I always say, not making a decision can lead to the worst outcome. So yeah, balancing contradictory thoughts is part of the game.

You May Also Like

These Stories on 8 on K8s

Aug 8, 2023
Apr 27, 2023
Feb 23, 2023