We’re shining the spotlight on Ariel Jatib, CNCF Ambassador and webinar moderator extraordinaire.
Ariel first got involved with the cloud native community when he started the NYC Kubernetes Meetup in 2015, and helped organize many of the groups in cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and L.A. He is currently a Business Development Manager for cloud native at NetApp, which acquired his company, StackPointCloud, in 2018.
More recently, he’s become very active in moderating CNCF webinars — 9 and counting! “With no meetups happening [right now], I’ve had more time to host webinars,” he says. And it fits in with what he considers his overall goal as a CNCF ambassador: “To promote cloud native technologies and the spirit of the community.”
Ariel took some time to chat with us about being an ambassador.
What’s the best part of being an ambassador? Any fun KubeCon + CloudNativeCon memories?
I’ve always enjoyed the ambassador breakfast at KubeCon. It’s there I join up with [fellow ambassador and MLB Principal DevOps Engineer] Mike Goodness and we go to catch the opening keynotes. We’ll say hi to Nanci Lancaster from [the Linux Foundation events team] after the talks — she was key in helping the NYC group grow while working at DigitalOcean. Coffees with Joonas Bergius. Those traditions bring me joy, and it’s something I look forward to at each KubeCon.
Do you have any favorite moments from the webinars?
I really enjoyed chatting with Kaslin Fields of Google on “Welcome to CloudLand.”
Are there any shoutouts you’d like to give to the community?
A big shoutout to the NYC blueberries — Paul, Stephen, Pop, Liz. May we all soon enjoy each other’s company and some deviled eggs. Shoutouts to Mark Coleman, Daniel Sasche a.k.a. RUNK8S, and the old StackPoint crew — Matt, Pabs, Fran, Nate, and Tareque.
Any final thoughts?
Thank you all for a magical ride. May you and your loved ones be safe and be well during these trying times.