As usual after KubeCon, I went offline for a few days to recharge. After an intense week like that, it’s not optional; it’s survival.
Four in a Row
KubeCon EU 2026 Amsterdam delivered, as it always does. This was my fourth consecutive KubeCon (something that still feels surreal when I think about it). None of this would have been possible without the support of SIGHUP and ReeVo, who have consistently believed in the value of being present and active in this community. Genuine gratitude goes to both of them.
Year after year, the conference reinforces something I’ve come to truly appreciate: the relationships you build here are real and lasting. Every edition, I meet the same familiar faces, people I consider conference friends, and increasingly just friends. Those bonds consolidate over time, and Amsterdam was no exception. Seeing these people in person, even for a brief coffee between sessions, is something no Slack message or video call can replicate.
A First as Cloud Native Days Organizer
This edition carried an extra layer of personal significance. For the first time, I attended KubeCon not only as a community member and company representative, but also as a Cloud Native Days Italy organizer. Being in that role at an event of this scale opened up a different perspective entirely.
It gave me the concrete opportunity to thank in person some of our existing sponsors (a gesture that matters far more face-to-face than over email). And I’m glad to report that I was also able to establish meaningful contacts with a few more companies who might join us for our 2027 event. Nothing signed, nothing announced yet, but the conversations were good, and in this business, that counts.
If you’re based in Italy or nearby and want to experience a community-driven cloud-native event, the 2026 edition is just around the corner: Bologna, May 18-19. Come say hi there too.
AI Was Everywhere (No Surprise)
If there’s one thing I won’t pretend didn’t happen: AI was the main topic of the conference. From keynotes to breakout sessions, from hallway conversations to sponsor booths, the intersection of cloud-native infrastructure and artificial intelligence was inescapable.
I’m not writing a technical breakdown of the sessions here; the internet is already full of KubeCon recaps and I have nothing to add that the official content won’t cover better.
For the technical content, I’d point you directly to:
- The official event schedule (slides are being attached to sessions where speakers have shared them): kccnceu2026.sched.com
- The CNCF YouTube channel (co-located event sessions and keynotes are already up, the rest will follow in the coming days): youtube.com/@cncf
See You at the Next One
That’s it for this quick debrief. No long technical breakdowns, no top-ten lists; just a genuine thank you to everyone (friends, colleagues, customers, and partners) who made this edition memorable, and a reminder that the community is, as always, the real product of KubeCon.
See you at the next conference. 🚀