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Steve Wade

The manifesto that might get me banned from KubeCon

Published 22 days ago • 1 min read

The Platform Fix

Hello Reader—

Last week, I reviewed a platform with 47 monitoring tools.

47.

That’s not architecture. That’s hoarding with a YAML addiction.

Today, I’m done being polite about platform complexity.

Main Teaching:

I’ve just published something that might get me uninvited from a few conferences:

The Pragmatic CNCF Manifesto.

After 50+ migrations and £100M+ in complexity eliminated, I’ve written the guide I wish existed when I started. The one vendors don’t want you to read. The one that says what we’re all thinking but nobody dares say on stage.

It starts with three uncomfortable truths:

  1. We murdered the enterprise architect - Now we pay consultants £15k to ask the same questions we used to get for free
  2. We confused democracy with anarchy - 14 different CI/CD tools isn’t “empowerment,” it’s insanity
  3. We architected for applause instead of outcomes - Your KubeCon talk won’t save your company when competitors ship faster

The manifesto includes:

  • The Six Principles of Pragmatic Cloud Native (including my “3 AM Test”)
  • The REAL CNCF stack you need (spoiler: it’s 5-7 tools, not 50)
  • The anti-patterns destroying platform teams right now
  • A promise you can print and sign (yes, seriously)

Platform Psychology Insight:

Know when platform engineering went wrong? The moment we started measuring success by tools deployed instead of features shipped. The moment complexity became a badge of honour instead of a sign of failure. We’ve created a generation of platform engineers who think their job is to collect CNCF projects like Pokémon cards.

Reader Success:

Matt got early access, his message this week:

“Emergency platform meeting scheduled. We’re killing our service mesh by Friday. Team morale already improving just from the DECISION.”

That’s what happens when someone finally gives you permission to choose simple.

Quick Win:

Before downloading the manifesto, count how many CNCF tools you’re currently running. Write it down. That number should hurt. If it doesn’t, you’re part of the problem.

What’s Coming Next Week:

The first case study from a manifesto reader who deleted 50% of their platform in 7 days. Nothing broke. Everything got faster. Developers actually smiled.

Ready to join the resistance against unnecessary complexity?

​→ → →​Download The Pragmatic CNCF Manifesto​

Warning: This isn’t another “best practices” guide. It’s a declaration of war on the complexity that’s killing your team.

10 pages that could save you £100k and your sanity.

P.S. The “Stop. Before You Add That Tool.” checklist alone is worth the download. Seven questions that kill unnecessary tools before they infect your platform. One client saved £400k using just this list.

P.P.S. The revolution starts with one pragmatic decision. Make yours today.

© 2025 Steven Wade Consulting Ltd

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, Washington 98104-2205

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