Why Kubernetes Is Probably Wrong for Your Mid-Sized Company

Engineering leader Tom Barber challenges the default adoption of Kubernetes, sharing why simpler alternatives often serve mid-sized companies better and how to make pragmatic infrastructure decisions.

Episode 12: Why Kubernetes Is Probably Wrong for Your Mid-Sized Company

Key Topics Covered

The Kubernetes Reality Check

• Why most mid-sized companies don't need Kubernetes complexity
• The hidden costs: maintenance, YAML management, and developer experience
• Real-world example from NASA: when impressive engineering doesn't solve business problems

Understanding Kubernetes Context

• Origins from Google's Borg system designed for massive scale
• Core benefits: fault tolerance, auto-scaling, declarative infrastructure
• Why these benefits require significant investment to realize

The Real Downsides

1. Complexity: Even cloud vendors are building products to hide Kubernetes
2. YAML Everything: Config management becomes a people and process problem
3. Cost at Scale: Engineering hours, infrastructure, and mental health costs
4. Developer Experience: High barrier to entry and friction in feedback loops
5. Portability Mirage: Cross-cloud deployment still requires deep vendor knowledge

When Kubernetes Makes Sense

• Genuine scale requirements (dozens/hundreds of services)
• Multiple teams with dedicated platform engineering capacity
• Complex deployment patterns that serve real business needs

Practical Alternatives

• VMs with Docker: Boring is good, boring is maintainable
• Managed Container Services: ECS/Fargate, Cloud Run, Azure Container Apps
• Serverless: Lambda, Cloud Functions for event-driven workloads
• Simple Deployment Scripts: Often cheaper than cluster management

Decision Framework: Do You Actually Need Kubernetes?

1. What specific problem are you solving?
2. Do you have dedicated team capacity?
3. What's your actual scale (services, teams, traffic)?
4. How frequently do you deploy?
5. Have you exhausted simpler options?

Resources Mentioned

• Free Download: "You Actually Need Kubernetes" Checklist (available in show notes)
• Consulting: Concept Cloud - Pragmatic infrastructure decisions for mid-sized companies
• Website: www.conceptcloud.com
• Contact: tom@conceptcloud.com

Next Episode Preview

Episode 13: "Why Your Engineers and Product Managers Still Don't Talk to Each Other (And How to Actually Fix It)"

Engineering Evolved is the podcast for engineering leaders at mid-sized companies who are tired of getting advice that only works for startups or enterprises.

Chapters

• 0:00 - Introduction: The Kubernetes Controversy
• 3:00 - A Personal Story: Getting It Wrong at NASA
• 4:58 - Understanding Kubernetes: Context and Core Benefits
• 7:07 - The Real Downsides: Complexity, Cost, and Developer Experience
• 10:49 - When Kubernetes Actually Makes Sense
• 13:39 - Practical Alternatives to Kubernetes
• 15:51 - Decision Framework: Do You Actually Need It?
• 18:36 - Wrap-up and Next Episode Preview