Episode 149  - Permission to Launch with Kelsey Hightower

Episode 149 - Permission to Launch with Kelsey Hightower

In this episode, we've brought in a special guest, Kelsey Hightower. Kelsey is Principal Engineer at Google, and also co-author of Kubernetes: Up and Running: Dive into the Future of Infrastructure.

To start the show, Kelsey shares he considers himself a self-taught engineer. He started his life out as a small business owner and then moved to a system administrator. Now, he is at Google.

Kelsey’s fascination with cyber started post High School. Rather than go to college, he jumped into, tech support, consulting, dropping cat five cable, but about 2004ish he really digs into the world of open source and all the things that you can do with it as a user and as a contributor.

When it comes to community and customers, Kelsey felt they were one in the same. However, in the last five years or so, he has kind of changed that a little bit, thinking everyone is probably in your community. The willing the ones that are willing to pay you money, we call those customers.

And then the conversation turns to comedy, and his journey through comedy management and performances. Along with this comes discussion about acquiring skills.

Finally, Kelsey shares advice to listeners!

Key Takeaways:

1:00 Welcome back

2:18 Kelsey shares his background

3:31 Community and customers

4:40 Professional purpose

6:00 Retirement thoughts

10:31 Journey in comedy

14:35 Getting better

16:28 Propelling forward

20:12 Minimalism

22:18 Immersion journey

25:25 Don’t miss the moment

27:00 Exceeding expectations

37:56 It’s ok to start!

39:25 How to keep up to date with Kelsey

Kelsey on Twitter

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon. Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Sponsored by Attack IQ

Attack IQ Academy

Episoder(417)

RSAC 2026: Show Up or Fall Behind

RSAC 2026: Show Up or Fall Behind

What does it mean when your smart doorbell becomes an entry point for surveillance? What happens when a single hacker can jailbreak every major AI model within hours of its release? And why are the sa...

20 Mar 21min

What’s Next After Building a $2.5B Cybersecurity Company with Dean Sysman

What’s Next After Building a $2.5B Cybersecurity Company with Dean Sysman

What does it look like when a cybersecurity founder who built a $2.5 billion company decides to level up, again? Dean Sysman, co-founder of Axonius, sits down with Ron Eddings to pull back the curtain...

16 Mar 37min

Can AI Do Your Cyber Job? Post Your Job Req and Find Out with Marcus J. Carey

Can AI Do Your Cyber Job? Post Your Job Req and Find Out with Marcus J. Carey

Last episode, Ron and Marcus made predictions. This episode, they brought the receipts. A journalist built an app with vibe coding and got hacked on live television.  A social network built entirely...

6 Mar 38min

Why 69% of CISOs Are Ready to Walk Away with Anthony Johnson

Why 69% of CISOs Are Ready to Walk Away with Anthony Johnson

The CISO role isn’t the finish line, it’s a launchpad. 69% of security executives are eyeing the exit, and Anthony Johnson is proof that what comes next can be even bigger. Anthony Johnson, former Gl...

6 Mar 40min

Securing the Workspace Attackers Already Live In with Rajan Kapoor

Securing the Workspace Attackers Already Live In with Rajan Kapoor

Your email gateway isn't enough anymore, attackers are already inside the workspace through OAuth apps, browser extensions, and account takeover.  In this episode, Ron sits down with Rajan Kapoor, VP...

19 Feb 38min

Beating “Checkbox Security” With Continuous Offense with Sonali Shah

Beating “Checkbox Security” With Continuous Offense with Sonali Shah

Security doesn’t fail because you missed a tool, it fails because “secure today” tricks you into relaxing tomorrow. This episode exposes why the real fight isn’t compliance… it’s whether your defenses...

12 Feb 41min

Turning Agent Chaos into a Command Center with Pedram Amini

Turning Agent Chaos into a Command Center with Pedram Amini

Text threads made AI feel personal, then agents made it productive, and suddenly “success” turns into chaos you can’t even track. In this episode, Ron sits down with Pedram Amini, creator of Maestro,...

10 Feb 37min

Why MFA Isn’t the Safety Net You Think It Is with Yaamini Barathi Mohan

Why MFA Isn’t the Safety Net You Think It Is with Yaamini Barathi Mohan

Phishing didn’t get smarter, it got better at looking normal. What used to be obvious scams now blend directly into the platforms, workflows, and security controls people trust every day. In this epi...

29 Jan 32min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
treningspodden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
jakt-og-fiskepodden
sinnsyn
rss-sunn-okonomi
mikkels-paskenotter
hverdagspsyken
gravid-uke-for-uke
rss-kunsten-a-leve
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf
rss-kull
hagespiren-podcast
rss-var-forste-kaffe
fryktlos
rss-mann-i-krise-med-sagen
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid