Original ContentEnterprise AI needs new apps, enterprise AI doesn’t need new platforms - I’ve been circling a theme this week after reading “AI as a Normal Technology” (Spring, 2025). This is some stream of conscious on it. Enterprises are gonna enterprise-y, especially with AI. Also available in LinkedIn, if you prefer that kind of thing. A series of OODA loops, Software Defined Talk #559 - This week, we discuss the future of SaaS, OpenAI vs.

Original ContentA few things since last time: Kubernetes use rising, large organizations slowest to adapt, not many people train their own AI model or deploy new AI models frequently - my highlights from the most recent CNCF state of stuff survey. Enterprise ROI is elusive - maybe ROI is just headcount chopping, not revenue growth and “transformation” - Executives continue to say they don’t know how to measure ROI for AI, and/or that it’s low.

NICHOLAS LITTLE, from this IEEE article.Original ContentHere’s a summary of a new post on my weblog: Three years into the generative AI boom, enterprise ROI remains stubbornly hard to find. Survey after survey shows a familiar pattern: widespread experimentation, lots of “in production” claims, and very little impact on revenue, costs, or P&L. The usual explanation is “culture,” but that’s a dead end for IT - culture change belongs to executives, and most employees don’t believe leadership has a real plan anyway.

Original ContentAmazon should buy Anthropic. I wasn’t really sure what hardned images were, let alone “distroless,” so Tony and I were lucky to get William on this week’s Tanzu Catsup to sort it out. We also discuss how it fits into platform engineering. If you can’t be bothered, here’s an excerpt on optimizing Helm charts. After the Dream, Software Defined Talk #555 - This week, we discuss Gemini powering Siri, AWS’s biggest competitor, and AWS strategy choices.

Garbage Chairs of Amsterdam, Duivendrecht edition.Original ContentFrom Platform Engineering to Stand-Up Comedian, with Lian Li, Software Defined Talk #117: “In this episode, Whitney and Coté talk with Lian, a “cloud-native human” with a 15-year career in tech. Lian discusses her transition from tech to performance art, her experiences in amateur musical theater, stand-up comedy, and improv theater. She talks about platform engineering, the importance of community building in tech, and balancing professional life with personal projects.

Pardon the not-an-actual-newsletter episode of the newsletter, but… Do you listen to my podcast, Software Defined Talk? If you do, I’d appreciate you taking the time to fill out our listener survey. We do occasional ads and paid interviews, and this helps us do more and charge more. It means we can pay for the podcast and some tasty beef ribs at the end of the year. Also, I’m always curious to know more about listeners.

Things expats notice when they’re back in AmericaThe night of arrival, at Stiles Switch.We go back to Texas each year for Christmas. You see things differently when you’ve been away for a long time. Here’s some from this year: Waymo everywhere, in Austin. So much yoghurt. Grown ass adults going to the store in full in pajamas. Still. There’s a gadget for everything. “Put a bow on it.” UGGs, boots and:

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Garbage Chairs of Amsterdam.This week it’s a digest of the flow of stuff. If you want to keep up day-to-day, and even more content not included below, check out my newly reborn Weblog on The World Wide Web. Original ContentThings I’ve writtenA great platform as a product paper, and a fun platform philosophy thereof. The Security Gap in AI Applications: Rethinking API Protection for a New Era. 20 years of business travel - you’ll get there, or you won’t.

A selection from my weblog and elsewhere since last time… Original contentWhitney goes to KubeCon - a cross-over episode from SDT: “This week, Whitney Lee joins us to discuss KubeCon news, Coding Assistants, and conference tips. Plus, vegan food and note-taking recommendations.” What is a platform? - Tony and I start a new weekly, live-streamed “podcast.” The AI Apprentice’s Adventures - maybe AI can help create more D&D content and not destroy the world?