Beyond the final frontier Cloud Native Zurich

Having had access to computers since the age of eight, back in 1991, I like to think I’ve seen a thing or two when it comes to IT.

Then you spend a day at Cloud Native Zürich and remember how much there still is to learn.

That, for me, is the point of events like this. Bright people in the same room. Ideas you didn’t expect. Conversations that send you home with three new tabs open and a few assumptions quietly dismantled.

A real highlight was meeting @Thomas Zurbuchen, @Lee Feinberg and @Jody Dawson, who bring extraordinary NASA and space-mission experience, including work connected to Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, to the ETH Space initiative. Quite the bench.

Beyond the final frontier, the keynotes did the rest of the work. @Andrew Martin on “Slopsquatting”, which is exactly as ominous as it sounds. @David Sterz unpacking the decentralisation of the European cloud market. @Nina Mujkanovic on building Apertus, the Swiss open-source AI model. @Christina Kraus making the case for sovereignty through mastery. And loads more.

A good day. The kind that reminds you why showing up still matters.

Thank you, @Milena Thalmann and @White Rabbit, for the invitation.