Densify Talks

About Densify Talks

Kubex Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Kubex, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. Each episode features in-depth conversations with guests about their careers and experiences in the industry, as well as their insights into the latest trends and best practices for cloud infrastructure optimization. Whether you're a seasoned IT professional or just starting out, Kubex Talks is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about cloud and Kubernetes technology. Densify Talks was renamed to Kubex Talks Jan 1, 2026.

Publisher

Kubex

Category

news · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 May 2023

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   18: Building an Agentic Future: AI and Optimization with Sachin Gharge

   On today's episode, Andrew Hillier chats with Sachin Gharge, Head of Cloud Platform at Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). They discuss AI, agents, Kubernetes, MCP, and optimization. Sachin shares how he and his team are optimizing cloud costs, leveraging automation, and experimenting with agentic AI, including bots and Slack integrations, to make operations easier and more effective for developers and the business. They explore the organizational challenges of AI adoption, including change management, education, and the leadership commitment required to successfully embrace new technologies. Sachin also shares his perspective on where the airline industry is headed and how SAS is putting AI to work today. This episode offers an inside look at the opportunities and challenges of AI and automation, and how organizations can implement them effectively. ABOUT OUR GUEST Sachin Gharge Sachin Gharge is Head of Cloud Platform at Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), where he leads Cloud Platform and Developer Experience strategy. He has spent his career building and leading high-performing platform teams focused on enabling developers to deliver business value through technology. Sachin is passionate about driving innovation, efficiency, and productivity through the adoption of modern tools and practices across the software development lifecycle (SDLC). ABOUT KUBEX TALKS Kubex Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Kubex, a Kubernetes, cloud, and AI company. Each episode features conversations with IT and technical leaders who have first-hand experience delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure in large enterprises. LINKS kubex.ai

2. 

   22 Sept 2026

   17: There's No Life Without AI: Agents, MCP, and the Future of Automation With Viktor Farcic

   On this episode of Kubex Talks, technology critic Viktor Farcic returns to talk with Andrew Hillier about the rapidly changing landscape in tech. Viktor has gone from AI skeptic to believer, claiming that there really is no life without AI anymore, from a professional standpoint. Andrew and Viktor address the challenges of optimizing both AI workloads and the infrastructures they rely on. They highlight the importance of human oversight, the changing nature of skills and roles, and the increasing need to adapt organizational processes to fully leverage AI's capabilities. They discuss how roles are poised to evolve, with the potential for further automation and the gradual shift of human responsibility toward strategic guidance. This episode provides an in-depth and direct conversation of where AI is driving the industry, and what that means for professionals and organizations looking to remain relevant in an era of rapid technological change. If you haven't listened to the first episode with Viktor, make sure to check it out! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kubex-talks/id1687577353?i=1000708325053 ABOUT OUR GUEST Viktor Farcic Viktor Farcic is a lead rapscallion at Upbound (https://upbound.io (https://upbound.io)), a member of the CNCF Ambassadors, Google Developer Experts, CDF Ambassadors, and GitHub Stars groups, and a published author. He is a host of the YouTube channel DevOps Toolkit (https://youtube.com/@devopstoolkit) and a co-host of DevOps Paradox (https://youtube.com/@devopsparadox). ABOUT KUBEX TALKS Kubex Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Kubex, a Kubernetes, cloud, and AI company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: kubex.ai upbound.io youtube.com/@devopstoolkit youtube.com/@devopsparadox

3. 

   23 Jun 2026

   16: The Rapid Impact of AI, Agents, and MCP on Technology Roles with Manny Patel

   On today's episode, Andrew Hillier sits down with Manny Patel, a long-time Infrastructure Platform Engineering Leader whose career has spanned multiple focuses, including Kubernetes, automation, and now AI. Andrew and Manny discuss the accelerating pace of AI innovation, the impact of standardization efforts like MCP, and the emergence of AI agents as powerful force multipliers within enterprise environments. They also dig into how job roles are evolving, what it means to "trust" AI, how prompt engineering is becoming a new way to code, AI native, and where all this might be heading in the next couple of years (or even months!). It's a fun, relevant, and honest conversation about the good, the not-so-sure, and everything in between when it comes to AI in enterprise. We hope you have some great takeaways from this episode and can utilize AI in the best possible way for your enterprise. ABOUT OUR GUEST Manny Patel Manny Patel is an Infrastructure Platform Engineering Leader focused on building the platforms that modern engineering organizations run on. He operates at the intersection of cloud, platform engineering, and developer experience—turning complex infrastructure into scalable, self-service systems that accelerate execution without sacrificing reliability. With deep experience across AWS, GCP, and Azure, Manny has led large-scale transformations centered on Kubernetes, automation, and infrastructure as code. His approach is pragmatic and outcomes-driven: eliminate toil, standardize what matters, and create the guardrails that allow teams to move fast safely. Manny is a strong advocate for AI-augmented engineering and operational excellence, pushing organizations toward a future where systems are not just reliable, but increasingly self-optimizing. He's known for translating strategy into execution —bringing clarity to ambiguity and enabling teams to deliver measurable business impact. At his core, Manny is a builder of systems and teams—developing high-performing engineers, driving accountability, and creating cultures where ownership and continuous improvement are the norm. ABOUT KUBEX TALKS Kubex Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Kubex, a Kubernetes, cloud, and AI company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS kubex.ai Manny Patel's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manny-p/

4. 

   28 Apr 2026

   15: Optimizing AI Workloads: Balancing Cost, Performance, and Scalability with Bijit Ghosh

   In this episode, Andrew Hillier and Bijit Ghosh discuss the evolving landscape of AI, discussing the growing prominence of inference over training, hybrid cloud strategies, balancing cost with performance, and the orchestration of complex hardware environments. The conversation also touches on emerging concepts like AI factories, the challenges of sovereign cloud, and how enterprises are navigating data gravity and regulatory constraints. It's a deep dive into optimizing AI infrastructure, managing costs, and the disruptive changes that are transforming both technology and business outcomes. ABOUT OUR GUEST Bijit Ghosh Bijit Ghosh is a seasoned technology executive with over two decades of experience leading AI/ML, cloud, and data transformation in global financial services. As CTO – MD/Head of AI/ML, Cloud & Data Platform Engineering at Wells Fargo, he drives large-scale modernization of infrastructure and fintech platforms, applying AI Agents, cloud-native architectures, LLMOps, and DevSecOps to deliver measurable business outcomes. Bijit has a proven track record of driving more than $200M in savings through transformation, automation, and platform engineering, and he is known for empowering teams to innovate while maintaining resilience, compliance, and performance. He also contributes to open-source, writes on technology topics, and actively engages with the broader tech community. ABOUT KUBEX TALKS Kubex Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Kubex, a Kubernetes, cloud, and AI company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS kubex.ai

5. 

   26 Sept 2025

   14: Densify Talks - CNCF, OpenAPI, and Kubernetes with Dan Ciruli from Nutanix

   Andrew Hillier sits down with Dan Ciruli, who leads the cloud native product management team at Nutanix. Dan’s got some great stories from his days at Google—back when cloud native and Kubernetes were just getting started, in addition to the knowledge and wisdom he picked up along the way. Andrew and Dan talk about founding a CNCF project, and what it entailed, as well as Kubernetes in the early days and its cloud-centric evolution. Dan dives into founding the OpenAPI initiative and how it all went down. Of course, a common question is what product managers do in open source? Well, Dan and Andrew discuss it and share some good insights. Dan discusses the Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP), resource optimization on NKP, and how to give consistent view across cloud and on-prem. Dan and Andrew dive a little into the current impact of AI (although, more discussion will likely come in the future on this topic). And just when you think it’s all code and cloud, Dan drops the story of how he spent a year as tour manager for the rock band Chevelle (yep, that Chevelle)! Turns out, wrangling open source projects and rock bands aren’t as different as you’d think! Densify is certified for the Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) to provide automated resource optimization for containerized environments—bringing AI-driven insights and precision scaling to NKP users for improved performance and cost efficiency. ABOUT OUR GUEST Dan Ciruli Dan Ciruli is the Vice President and General Manager of Cloud Native at Nutanix. His (very long) career in product management includes stints at Google, Zuora and EMC, and in open source he was a founding member of the OpenAPI Initiative and sat on the Istio Steering Committee. In his spare time he’s active in acting and musical theatre. Give him half a chance and he’ll try to speak Spanish to you! ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS Dan in The Red video for Chevelle @1:20 and @1:40 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trinU3VD1Zo&list=RDtrinU3VD1Zo&t=80s

6. 

   27 Jun 2025

   13: Effective Resource Optimization and Kubernetes Insights with Daniele Polencic

   Andrew Hillier interviews Daniele Polencic, lead instructor at LearnK8s, about Kubernetes resource management, covering challenges, risks, and best practices for optimization in cloud-native infrastructure.

7. 

   13 May 2025

   12: Kubernetes Maturity, Cost Optimization, Automation & AI with Viktor Farcic

   Welcome to another episode of Densify Talks! Andrew Hillier has a fun and informative conversation with Viktor Farcic. Viktor considers himself a technology critic (think of the old muppet critics on the balcony) and rapscallion. We think he’s also quite the thought leader and author, with some very bold insights on technology that are worth hearing! See Viktor’s biography below for more information about him. Andrew and Viktor dive into the maturing landscape of Kubernetes, asking the question “is Kubernetes now “boring”?” It’s a good question and Viktor and Andrew have great thoughts on it! They also tackle AI and where it’s currently at (including Viktor’s experiences with AI recently). Andrew and Viktor talk about their experiences with KubeCon over the years and where it might be going in the future. They discuss optimization, cloud costs, automation, GitOps, VPA, Densify’s new Mutating Admission Controller, and what’s likely to come in the near future. For fun, we also get to hear Viktor’s strong opinions on Helm! We hope you get as much out of this episode as we did! ABOUT OUR GUEST Viktor Farcic Viktor Farcic is a lead rapscallion at Upbound (https://upbound.io (https://upbound.io)), a member of the CNCF Ambassadors, Google Developer Experts, CDF Ambassadors, and GitHub Stars groups, and a published author. He is a host of the YouTube channel DevOps Toolkit (https://youtube.com/@devopstoolkit) and a co-host of DevOps Paradox (https://youtube.com/@devopsparadox). ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS densify.com upbound.io youtube.com/@devopstoolkit youtube.com/@devopsparadox

8. 

   6 May 2025

   11: Exploring FinOps Strategies, AI, and Resource Optimization with Brent Eubanks of Wayfair

   Welcome to another episode of Densify Talks! We’re excited and honored to welcome Brent Eubanks, FinOps Architect at Wayfair. Brent brings a wealth of knowledge and years of experience in the FinOps realm from his time at Ticketmaster, Citi, Box, and now Wayfair. Our host Andrew Hillier, CTO and Co-Founder of Densify, sits down with Brent to discuss containers, FinOps, resource optimization, AI, and Kubernetes to name a few topics. Brent shares his insights on resource waste, and highlights his strategic approach with seven tactics to optimization. Andrew and Brent discuss the challenges of interfacing with engineering teams and how to approach that with a really helpful tip! They talk about the costs of AI, AI as an asset, and solving specific business problems with AI. Brent also shares some of his very fascinating non-work projects that he’s working on. It’s an information and wisdom-packed episode! Make sure to take some notes from today’s episode. We hope it’s as valuable for you as it was for us! ABOUT OUR GUEST: Brent Eubanks Brent Eubanks is the FinOps Architect at Wayfair. He’s a hands-on leader with a passion for innovating on technologies, building effective teams and a focus on delivering competitively superior FinOps technology solutions to the business while growing people in the organization and quantifying IT transformation. Design, implement, operate platforms using AI/ML, data lake, LLM local with prompt chaining and superprompts to optimize the engineers efficiency. Brent is a digital service efficiency expert to help enterprises plan, govern, and understand the business value to facilitate self-optimizing and self-governing DevOps CICD pipelines. Solution development and Architect optimal L1-7 stacks using Kubernetes, Serverless, AWS GCP Azure. AI ML Data Science foundation models and data exploration analytics to interact with data streams and explore price performance value. Brent strives to achieve 'Cognitive Application Focused Environments' as a key component that will blend architecture design, robotics process automation and intercloud interoperability with process, and policy interactions to enable actions to instantly scale, migrate, administer, model, and decide autonomously how to best service the applications needs. Cloud leaders must have the right digital economics reports, dashboards, interactive decisioning frameworks to prove that the enterprise Cloud/Colo budget $ is being spent better than last year in the context of that Enterprise Business Unit’s unique needs. Brent does that by combining the vision, context, AI/ML data lake of the existing Cloud estate to produce these ITBM and FinOps valuable insights to quantify business transformation, quantify agility of IT, and track personal progress of maturity of all functional domains among the Enterprise executives. Brent’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenteubanks/ ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: densify.com (https://densify.com/) Papers Mentioned in the Episode: https://www.finops.org/wg/effect-of-optimization-on-ai-forecasting/ https://www.finops.org/wg/finops-for-ai-overview/

9. 

   16 Sept 2024

   10: Container Strategies and Cloud Migration with Vladimir Remenar of Raiffeisen Bank

   On this episode of Densify Talks, we welcome Vladimir Remenar, Director of IT Operations at Raiffeisen Bank in Croatia. Andrew Hillier and Vladimir Remenar dive into container optimization strategies and cloud migration, discussing Raiffeisen’s processes and innovative practices. Raiffeisen Bank was early in the automation of optimization. Vladimir shares why that was the case and what that meant for Raiffeisen. He also discusses Raiffeisen’s migration to cloud journey and shares challenges, benefits, and lessons learned along the way. Andrew and Vladimir talk about Openshift license costs and Openshift to EKS. One of Densify’s beliefs is using cloud as intended, using standard and open frameworks, and not locking in. They move into the topic of FinOps and highlight how Raiffeisen approaches financial operations in their cloud journey, and the importance of continuous optimization for seamless operations. Andrew and Vladimir also cover additional topics, including Vladimir’s professional journey in the banking industry, his personal passions for fishing and boating, and their perspectives on future trends coming in the industry. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Vladimir Remenar Vladimir Remenar is the Director of IT Operations at Raiffeisen Bank in Croatia. He’s involved in planning, designing, documenting and leading some of the largest IT infrastructure projects. Vladimir is passionate about cyber security, security related research and mobile phone forensics. Vladimir Remenar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vremenar ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: densify.com Vladimir Remenar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vremenar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/vremenar)

10. 

    23 Jul 2024

    9: Optimizing Cloud and Container Efficiency with Intel® Cloud Optimizer by Densify

    Andrew Hillier and Ashley Rodrigue from Intel Corporation have a wealth of fantastic information for you on this episode of Densify Talks! They start off by sharing the benefits of the connection and partnership between Intel and Densify, highlighting how it benefits not only the two companies but also their customers. Ashley discusses how Intel® Cloud Optimizer is revolutionizing cloud efficiency and tackling container-related inefficiencies. She also provides a closer look at Intel's cutting-edge 5th Gen Intel Xeon Processors and their performance improvements. Andrew and Ashley talk about the regional availability of products and how Intel Foundry fits into that, reducing “hoarding” issues. Ashley had the privilege of touring one of Intel’s production facilities and shares the impact and benefits of in-house production. They also discuss Intel and ASML’s partnership in High NA EUV technology, FinOps trends and future directions, and touch on containers and guardrails. However, they’re saving the bulk of that discussion for a future episode. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the DENSIFY TALKS podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode! ABOUT OUR GUEST: Ashley Rodrigue As an Intel Cloud Partner Manager, Ashley works with industry-leading cloud partners to deliver maximum value to customers who run on Intel in the cloud. Prior to this role, Ashley was an Account Executive at Intel working with large enterprise customers in the NY metro area, helping them run best on Intel from the edge to the cloud. Before joining Intel in 2014, Ashley was an Ambassador at Lenovo where she conducted briefings for the press, customers, and business partners in North America. Ashley holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing from the University of Maine. As part of Ashley’s graduate assistantship, she worked at the University of Maine’s Technology Business Incubator helping several start-up companies conduct market research, write business plans, and launch their solutions. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises.

11. 

    30 Apr 2024

    8: Avoiding Sticker Shock with Gokul Naidu of SAP’s SuccessFactors

    On this episode of Densify Talks, we welcome Gokul Naidu, Senior Manager, Cloud Operations for SAP’s SuccessFactors Product Suite. Andrew and Gokul discuss an array of topics in the episode. The general theme of the discussion focuses on cost management and the importance of being prepared, aware, and executing the right planning in order to avoid sticker shock. Gokul shares about SAP’s massive cloud transformation and the incredible results from that success. Andrew and Gokul also discuss RI’s, FinOps, optimization thoughts and tips, new apps from SAP and the impact on Architecture decision making, user activity metrics, how SAP is able to involve Engineers to act on changes, thoughts on containers, and Gokul’s predictions on what’s to come. It’s an incredible discussion, full of great advice, tips, and insights that we hope you will, not only enjoy, but gain some great content to walk away with! If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode! ABOUT OUR GUEST Gokul Naidu is a Senior Manager at SAP, for the SuccessFactors product suite — a leading global Human Capital Management solution. He spearheads the cloud optimization initiative, collaborating with teams across product development, engineering, operations, data science, and finance. His leadership has been pivotal in establishing and executing the cloud optimization strategy within SAP SuccessFactors from the inception of their cloud migration journey. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS densify.com https://news.sap.com/2023/02/sap-successfactors-next-generation-cloud-delivery/

12. 

    19 Dec 2023

    7: How Verisk Uses Data to Drive Optimization in the Cloud

    On this episode of Densify Talks, we welcome Lori Galella, Director of Cloud Cost Optimization and IT Finance at Verisk, and also Vinnie DeAngelis, Senior Director at Verisk. We dive into the importance of transparency, trust, automation, and optimization. Lori and Vinnie share their unique career paths and discuss the intersection of finance and technology, emphasizing the growing importance of optimization and transparency through FinOps. They also cover the impact of cloud migration, capacity management, and successful cost optimization strategies. Data and analytics are essential, and it’s important that those involved know and understand the numbers and costs, as costs need to be factored into every decision. Andrew, Lori and Vinnie discuss having ongoing collaboration and relationships throughout the process, as well as striving to keep up with the best and new strategies. Finally, we touch on the future of cloud adoption and what technologies are likely to have an impact on cost structure optimization. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode! ABOUT OUR GUESTS Lori Galella Lori Galella is Director of Cloud Cost Optimization and IT Finance at Verisk. Lori built the cloud cost optimization function at Verisk, which leverages her career experience as a systems architect, while supporting her desire for growth in the financial discipline. Lori has a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science and began her career at AT&T, where over a 5 year period, she built and supported their Local Area Network, as well as their General Ledger on a Unix/Sybase platform. Vinnie DeAngelis Vinnie DeAngelis is Senior Director, Head if IT Finance/ Cloud FinOps & Optimization/ Software Asset Mgmt at Verisk. Vinnie joined Verisk in 2014 to lead the IT Finance Team. Since then, Vinnie has also assumed the leadership for the Cloud Financial Transformation/Operation across Verisk Analytics and the implementation and management of a centralized Software Asset Management function. He leads the Cloud Financial Transformation of Verisk Analytics. Vinnie earned a BA Degree in Finance from Long Island University in 1985 and an MBA in International Management from Adelphi University in 1989. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS densify.com

13. 

    12 Sept 2023

    6: Cloud Complexity: Understanding the Costs and Benefits of Cloud Computing with Mark Watson from ComplyAdvantage

    On this episode of Densify Talks, we welcome Mark Watson, CTO at ComplyAdvantage. Andrew and Mark get into a variety of topics, including cloud costs and optimization strategies. Mark shares his insights and experiences with cloud vendors, discussing the challenges of analyzing and predicting cloud growth and the importance of flexibility when choosing providers. Andrew and Mark discuss pricing in the cloud industry, shedding light on the sometimes overlooked nature of hardware and software costs. They also delve into the world of optimization, test environments, and resource allocation, sharing valuable strategies for reducing costs and improving efficiency. Andrew and Mark talk about AI, the impact of AI on data acquisition methods, and the importance of reliable content on the internet. They also get into Mark’s love for Sci-Fi and how our future may or may not come close to what’s already been written and, somewhat, predicted. We hope you enjoy this insightful and informative episode, as we explore the world of cloud costs, optimization strategies, and so much more with our guest, Mark Watson. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Mark Watson, Chief Technology Officer at ComplyAdvantage. Mark leads the company’s technology team in developing and running world-class technology. Mark has over 30 years’ experience in large companies and start-ups, several of which he co-founded and built from scratch. Immediately before ComplyAdvantage, he was CTO at WorldRemit, a leading cross-border digital payments service providing international money transfer and remittance services across a worldwide network. Mark has a BA in Politics from the University of Nottingham, UK. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: densify.com

14. 

    15 Aug 2023

    5: Building a Culture of Continuous Cloud Optimization with Luke Travers

    On this episode of Densify Talks, we welcome Luke Travers, FinOps Specialist and Principal Cloud Architect at a major South Korean e-Commerce company. Andrew and Luke discuss an array of topics surrounding building a culture of continuous cloud optimization. They delve into the importance of completeness and contextualization when making recommendations, stressing the potential impact of missing factors or terms. The discussion also touches on different industries and their unique peak periods, highlighting the significance of providing accurate answers to customers to build trust. The episode takes a deep dive into containers, giving a unique perspective on their evolution and status. Andrew and Luke share valuable insights about their advantages, flexibility, and the challenges that both cloud-native and non-native companies face when optimizing systems. Andrew and Luke also explore the challenges of resource allocation at scale and the potential financial consequences of neglecting proper optimization. There’s a lot more discussed, and we hope you enjoy this insightful episode of Densify Talks as we unpack the intricacies of cloud computing, optimization, and the evolving landscape of containers and Serverless architecture. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode. ABOUT OUR GUEST: With over 14 years of experience in IT and 7 years focused on cloud technologies, Luke is an accomplished FinOps Specialist and Principal Cloud Architect. Hailing from Australia and currently residing in Seoul, Korea, his journey has provided him with a deep understanding of global markets. His passion lies in optimizing cloud costs, fortifying cloud infrastructure, and driving business growth. With a proven track record in Cloud FinOps, he takes pride in delivering tangible cost optimization opportunities. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: densify.com

15. 

    18 Jul 2023

    4: Automated Cloud Instance Selection with Josh Hilliker from Intel

    On this episode of Densify Talks, we welcome Josh Hilliker, Principal Engineer and Senior Director Cloud Solutions Architect at Intel. Josh and Andrew discuss automated instance selection and the importance of letting machines make the resource decisions as cloud environments scale. Speaking from the perspective of a hardware manufacturer, Josh offers unique insight into some of the criteria that affect the performance and cost of hosting apps in the cloud, and how to leverage “optimization as code” to automate the optimization process. He also provides insight into the latest Intel hardware accelerators, and the cloud instances that they are available on. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Josh Hilliker is the Principal Engineer and Senior Director Cloud Solutions Architect at Intel Corporation. Josh leads a team of industry certified Cloud Solutions Architects, meant to engage strategic Enterprises and Digital Service Providers accounts to optimize Cloud Strategies, Capital Investments, and deployable technologies to serve their mission outcomes. As a recognized Intel Principal Engineer, Josh draws on a wealth of experiences in technical, business, and external engagements to chart a course to help customers match business outcomes with best practices, and best technologies. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: densify.com

16. 

    23 May 2023

    3: The Evolution of Cloud: Best Practices in Resource Optimization with Hitesh Chitalia

    On this episode of Densify Talks, Hitesh and Andrew discuss the evolution of the cloud and the best practices that have emerged in resource optimization. Having been involved in cloud from the start, Hitesh shares some of the "aha" moments he had along the way, including how to effectively engage engineering teams, the importance of data-driven approaches, designing for elasticity, and thoughts on where the industry is going. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Hitesh Chitalia is the VP, Director Cloud Optimization at FactSet. Hitesh Chitalia is a software industry veteran with over 30 years of experience. He started out as a software developer and engineer before moving up to enterprise architecture. He has been working with AWS since it first launched, and has been actively involved in cloud optimization for the last four years. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: densify.com

17. 

    23 May 2023

    2: Gamifying Cloud Optimization with AJ Wasserman from Liberty Mutual

    In this episode, AJ and Andrew talk about innovative ways to gamify the engagement with line of business application owners to drive cloud optimization. The number one challenge most FinOps programs have is getting engineers to take action on optimization. Liberty Mutual’s “Optimization Bingo” is a refreshing take on the problem. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Angela (AJ) Wasserman is the Portfolio Product Owner of Cloud FinOps & Tech Data Insights at Liberty Mutual. AJ has over 20 years of experience in both data analytics and financial management. In her current role, she is responsible for the development and execution of strategic global priorities within the Cloud FinOps and Tech Data Insight spaces, with a focus on leveraging data to improve the developer experience and to optimize technology investments. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: densify.com

18. 

    23 May 2023

    1: What is Densify Talks?

    Welcome to Densify Talks! We're excited to launch this new podcast! In this first episode, we’ll introduce and get to know our host, Andrew Hillier, the CTO and one of the co-founders of Densify. We’ll also be discussing what this podcast is all about, what benefits you will receive from this podcast, and what you can take away from listening. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode. Also, we'd love to hear from you! If you have questions and/or would like to be a guest on this podcast, please contact us! Links are below. ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS: Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises. LINKS: densify.com marketing@densify.com

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

144,929

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 36 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

27

Social presence

0

YouTube

82

Engagement

27