Anycast - Audio Edition

In this episode of The Anycast, Matt talks to Kristopher Beevers, the CEO of NetBox Labs, a solution that helps companies build and manage complex networks. Previously, Kris co-founded and led NS1, which was acquired by IBM in 2023. They discuss the remarkable rise of open-source projects, why many networking businesses are shifting towards cloud-based solutions, and the opportunities to watch out for in the networking space. What is NetBox, and what makes it unique? It’s a tool used for network documentation and automation, serving as a source of truth for network configurations. NetBox's business model differs from other open-source ventures because they focus more on alleviating the burden of software management for network engineers. Networking is evolving at a fast pace. Kristopher shares what you can do today to keep up and take advantage of future opportunities. The difference between building a company from zero to one, the startup experience, and one to N.  Kristopher breaks down the economics of the cloud and the type of companies that could save a lot of money by going to the cloud.  How open-source companies make money and stay in business.  According to Kristopher, hiring great people often comes down to impact. For example, engineers want to work on cool tech, but they also want to see that the tech they're working on has an impact on the world. Kristopher shares how being a parent changed his approach to leadership.  Matt and Kristopher discuss the resurgence of Nokia and how their decision to go the open-source route could restore their status as a tech and networking giant.  Matt and Kristopher agree that most network services will shift towards cloud-based solutions. Kristopher discusses the need to strike a balance between community-driven development and commercial support to ensure the longevity and effectiveness of open-source solutions. What is the sustainability of open-source projects like NetBox?  Matt and Kristopher agree that such projects can be widely adopted but often rely on volunteer contributions. This poses challenges in long-term maintenance, development, and profitability.  The pros and cons of building a company in public and transparently sharing the behind scenes of how you do it. Matt highlights the benefits of aligning employee development goals with the company's objectives. Companies must design roles that cater to an individual’s career paths and aspirations, while ensuring alignment between personal growth and organizational goals. Kristopher predicts that open-source solutions will disrupt traditional vendor ecosystems. More open-source solutions will gain traction and challenge established norms in the networking industry. For Kris, the reason AWS can give you the “cattle not pets” experience is purely scale. Even the biggest cloud providers can't deliver that experience because the scale isn't there. Mentioned in This Episode: Kristopher Beevers on LinkedIn NetBoxlabs.com ns1.com

Full episode launches on March 21

In this episode of The Anycast, Matt talks to Thomas Daly, an experienced technologist and the CEO of Big Network, a connectivity platform that securely connects networks and services between people, places, clouds and devices. They discuss where the edge of the internet is located, why DynDNS is still operational, and what Google’s announcement about egress fees means for cloud consumers.  Tom, a New Hampshire tech guru, shares his journey from the late '90s working as a managed service provider to establishing firms that focus on scaling technology and business growth.  Tom breaks down the difference between a physical network and a logical network.  According to Matt, it’s fiduciarily irresponsible to not build on the cloud if you’re starting a startup from zero. How people feel about you is based on how you made them feel on day one and how you made them feel on the last day.  Matt believes it’s crucial for service providers to give their customers a great experience the day they sign up and the day they part ways.  Why is DynDNS still operational? According to Tom, if DynDNS were to go away tomorrow, the global IP video surveillance business would crumble. Tom talks about the importance of efficient networking and the benefits of delivering resilient connectivity solutions for your customers. Tom and Matt define the edge of the internet. They agree that the edge is an abstract term for the point where a service provider gains or loses control over the routing policy based on user topology. Tom goes through the pros and cons of working in the networking space.  Matt and Tom discuss the internet supply chain, emphasizing how a problem for any provider affects the entire internet user experience.  They explore the common components provided by cloud providers and the potential drawbacks of building solely on the cloud. Tom shares his thoughts on the financial aspects of networking, from cloud credits, egress fees, and Google's decision to waive egress fees for users leaving their platform.  Tom questions the practical impact of egress fee waivers and how the charges discourage companies from transferring data to other cloud providers or on-premise systems. The discussion emphasizes the diverse opportunities in the industry. Some providers will focus on offering unlimited bandwidth, while others focus on services like space, power, compute, and storage. Tom reveals the impressive arsenal in his home lab, which includes three cabinets, dedicated air conditioning, a 16 KVA UPS, a Kohler propane generator, a Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro, and numerous other networking equipment. Matt and Tom discuss the evolution of internet speeds, reminiscing on the transition from 2400 Baud modems to the modern high-speed connections with 1000+ megabits per second. For Tom, space, power, cooling, and connectivity are all required to have a functional data center environment. Every player in that ecosystem will optimize and maximize different dimensions of that four-legged stool.   Mentioned in This Episode: Tom Daly on LinkedIn Bignetwork.com Oxide Computer Company

Full episode launches on February 8

In this episode of The Anycast, Matt interviews Avi Freedman, the co-founder and CEO of Kentik. Avi has decades of experience as a technologist and networking executive, and he is also a professional poker player. They talk about the future of cloud networking, how to uncover what your customers really want, and the one skill every leader should have.  Matt and Avi start the conversation by discussing Avi’s networking career and how he plans to shake things up in the network monitoring space. What is networking? According to Avi, networking is lots of little simple things that converge in complex ways mixed with vendor bugs. Avi’s advice for people early in their tech careers: document your learning process. It will not make you look stupid, it will make you look curious. Avi shares his journey to becoming the CEO of a multi-million dollar company.  How Matt and Avi approach learning and teaching - as soon as you have to teach something, it helps solidify your ideas. Avi talks about recognition and praise. He reveals the importance of recognizing and praising employees' efforts as well as the best way to find a balance between acknowledging achievements and avoiding unnecessary praise. If you listen, the customers will guide you to what they want. For Avi, you don’t have to be 95th percentile at everything. If you’re 80th percentile at ten different things, you’re pretty super-powered. Matt talks about the value of diversity in problem-solving and decision-making.  Leaders today believe telling people what to do is easier than asking questions. However, Avi and Matt believe being skillful at asking great questions can unlock opportunities you didn’t even realize existed.  Avi shares how Kentik delivers reliable, cost-effective network infrastructure at scale.  You need to figure out what’s interesting and make that a career versus learning all skills hoping that someone will give you a job. Avi and Matt break down the art of reading people and negotiating.  Avi talks about his love for poker and the powerful strategic tools that business leaders can use to build efficient company cultures and strong corporate strategies. Mentioned in This Episode: Avi Freedman on LinkedIn Kentik.com

Full episode launches on January 25

In this episode of The Anycast, Matt interviews Greg Moss, the CEO of CloudAdvise and Managing Director of UPSTACK.  They talk about cloud infrastructure and why it’s important, when to adopt the cloud for your business, and the sales skills to master for a successful career. Greg shares his journey from biomedical engineering to sales, and later founding his own business. What is the cloud? Greg defines the cloud as a global network of servers, each with its own unique function.  Greg talks about his two companies, CloudAdvise and UPSTACK. He shares how they deliver technology solutions that change lives, streamline business operations, and yield a competitive advantage for customers. If time is money, then Matt believes how you spend your time can be a big hidden cost for your business. Greg and Matt discuss the benefits of having the right relationships in business.  Greg explains how cloud governance ensures a company’s cloud environment is secure, efficient, and cost-effective. According to Matt, sometimes the cloud is not the answer, even when it seems like it could be. Matt and Greg agree that the biggest competitive advantage you can have as a business is not using the same cloud infrastructure as your competition. Gregg goes through the types of companies that should use the cloud and the ones that shouldn’t.  Learning to catch up is an essential life skill. Unfortunately, schools don’t teach it. Not all companies should be in the cloud. Businesses should build a cloud infrastructure only when it makes sense.  The number one skill a salesperson can have is to make the buyer feel something. Matt and Greg discuss the type of students they were, how best to raise your kids to be successful in the future, and why not all rules should be followed.  Advice to young sales professionals - sell only what’s relevant and urgent. If you’re going to spend 60 hours a week selling something, sell the things that will be the easiest to sell and yield the most fruit.  Greg talks about the future of tech and why AI will not be the end of humanity. Mentioned in This Episode: Greg Moss on LinkedIn ChatGPT UPSTACK.com

Full episode launches on January 11

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a content delivery network (CDN)? In this enlightening conversation with our guest, Matt Levine, the mastermind behind CacheFly, we dive into the intriguing world of CDNs. Matt shares his journey from the early days of working in the CDN space to establishing his very own company. He paints a vivid picture of how CacheFly expedites web content delivery by caching files in multiple cities globally and the pivotal role of anycast technology in constructing their network.  As we chart the course of CacheFly's growth, Matt elucidates their strategies and the formulated roadmap to success. He highlights their initial focus on inclusivity, aimed at businesses of all sizes, and the subsequent shift towards self-provisioning and mirroring larger networks. Get a peek into CacheFly's unique hiring process, with an emphasis on finding team members capable of smartly managing unforeseen challenges.  In the final stretch of this engaging conversation, Matt opens up about his trysts with scalability, the lessons learned, and his strategic missteps. He candidly speaks about how turning off self signups led to a surge in support requests and how they adapted to handle the flood of new customers. As he shares his influences, advice for startups, and the keys to success, Matt underlines the need to have an exit strategy when building on cloud infrastructure. Tune in for an insightful discussion on CDNs, the workings of CacheFly, and invaluable tips for ambitious entrepreneurs.

In this episode of The Anycast, Matt interviews Mehmet Akcin, CEO of the cloud and connectivity provider, EdgeUno.  They talk about Mehmet's journey from working at companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, and SpaceX to starting his own business, the funding strategy that was used for EdgeUno, what makes Latin America a unique market, as well as the role AI plays in Mehmet’s work. After having worked for companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, and SpaceX, Mehmet took the entrepreneurial plunge, providing a service to companies wanting to do business in and get their content distributed to Latin America. Two separate health issues are what actually lead Mehmet to start his company – EdgeUno – and do so in Colombia. Mehmet chronicles the beginnings of EdgeUno, from meeting his business partner and their first hire to the funding strategy they relied on and finding a niche within a niche. In Latin America, relationships are key. Mehmet talks about their role and how doing business in Colombia may be different than doing it in other countries like South Korea, for example. Matt thought that hard work was the thing that would make him successful… but, in reality, it’s actually a combination of factors, including sleep, diet, and exercise. Mehmet goes over the countries EdgeUno is in and how they find talent (including the Brazilian chess champion) there. Matt and Mehmet talk about the role of AI, including how Mehmet taps into it for EdgeUno-related matters. Mehmet touches upon the most challenging and the easiest markets to work in, what the cloud is all about, where the edge is, and his worst – and best – day. Mentioned in This Episode: EdgeUno.com Mehmet Akcin Juan Alcázar ChatGPT Aaron Hughes  Lumen.com  Twitch.com Infrapedia.com

Full episode launches on May 25  

In this episode of The Anycast, Matt sits down with Fly.io CEO Kurt Mackey to talk about podcasting, the approach many have toward customer satisfaction, and going toe-to-toe against Amazon’s AWS. Matt talks about how, back in 2004-2005, today’s guest Kurt Mackey introduced him to something he had never heard of before and that he thought was the dumbest thing he had ever heard: podcasts. Kurt shares his origin story of growing up in the early age of the Internet and building a company from scratch in 2011, as well as his current company Fly.io. Matt and Kurt go over the expectation curve and how we approach technology with surprise and disappointment, then surprise again. Kurt has a wide experience with databases – he and Matt touch upon that, startups, and the two sides of funding. Kurt discusses how it feels to be competing against trillion-dollar businesses as the primary startup competitors. Matt and Kurt go over the edge, what the future of apps will look like, and the performance-perception of speed connection. Kurt opens up about how, in order to balance his work and his personal life, he needs something that actually makes him stop thinking about work (like going on an electric skateboard!). What role do processes and bureaucracy play in the startup world? Kurt shares his thoughts on that. At Fly.io, they have a very unique hiring process. Kurt takes back the curtain to illustrate what it looks like – plus, he shares what he considers the coolest thing Fly.io has built so far. Kurt talks about the best and worst days of his business career. Mentioned in This Episode: Fly.io  Fly.io on Twitter (@FlyDotIO) RubyonRails.org MongoDB.com Jason Calacanis - Calacanis.com Hacker News

Full episode launches on May 11

In this episode of The Anycast, Matt sits down with someone he considers a friend and a person who has had three of the world’s coolest jobs: Jay Adelson. They have a conversation about Jay’s career and influences, his approach to hiring, how Jay sees social media today vs. the beginning, why a caring founder shouldn’t be penalized, and more. Jay shares his origin story and how he got to where he is today – including winning the Michigan Student Film Festival with a super 8 movie called The Invisible Man at the age of 8, starting the first Internet television network, running a social media company in 2006, and being part of the business that changed his perspective: Centric Electric. Jay goes over how Scorbit came to be and how it got influenced by Jay’s son Benjamin and Jay’s passion for pinballs. Matt and Jay talk about the role of community in what Jay focuses on, how hard it was to build the hardware, and how he approached coding. Matt asks Jay whether he’s good at hiring or not, as well as how he decides if a candidate is the right person for the job. The mailbag question revolves around where Jay believes pinball is today and where it’s going. Jay goes over how he sees social media today versus social media of the early days, as well as what he’s particularly proud of. Social media plays a role in people tending to always compare their insides to everybody else’s (filtered) exterior. Matt and Jay share their thoughts on what that means in regard to taking action, making things happen, and achieving success. For Jay, we should rethink what a founder should be and should not penalize someone for caring. Silicon Valley is still very important but Jay believes that the pandemic has helped us by spreading the sphere of influence out and by creating a little bit more diversity. Matt asks Jay about the greatest and the worst days of his business career. Mentioned in This Episode: Jay on Twitter (@JayAdelson) Scorbit.io Equinix.se Revision3 Center Electric

Full episode launches on April 27

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