Episode 117: From Platform Engineering to Stand-Up Comedian, with Lian Li

In this episode, Whitney and Coté talk with Lian, a "cloud-native human" with a 15-year career in tech. Lian discusses her transition from tech to performance art, her experiences in amateur musical theater, stand-up comedy, and improv theater. She talks about platform engineering, the importance of community building in tech, and balancing professional life with personal projects. They also cover her unique improv workshops for engineers at conferences and the popular KubeCon karaoke parties she organizes.

If you prefer video, you can watch that.

Mentions:

• Lian's home page on the World Wide Web.
• Lian's LinkedIn.
• One of Lian's talks discussed: "Many Cooks, One Platform: Balancing Ownership and Contribution for the Perfect Broth," Lian Li, KubeCon EU 2025.
• Kuberoke.
• Lian's workshops.
• Also, Coté on a magazine cover.

Special Guest: Lian Li.