Introduction: Over the past 25 years, information technology has evolved and fundamentally reshaped how work gets done at businesses. Entire industries got reshaped as new platforms emerged, powered by a self-driving infrastructure. It is incredible how closely major platforms align with inflection points in my own professional journey. From e-commerce and cloud to open source and generative AI, each change did not just change businesses but also profoundly affected how we conduct our day-to-day activities in real life. This short write-up reflects on the shifts of the last quarter-century and how living through it shaped my own career.
2000–Present: E-commerce at Scale and the Birth of Cloud
E-commerce grew so rapidly that Amazon created AWS to handle surges in traffic,
launching the modern cloud era.
My experience: I opened more than one e-commerce account in 1997. These accounts
that I use to this day have entirely changed my shopping habits.
2007–2015: Cloud Economics and the Mobile App Economy
Cloud computing shifted enterprise spending from Capex to Opex, while
smartphones created the mobile app economy.
My experience: My employer, IBM, laid me off in 2009, which pushed me to
double down on cloud. I rewarded myself using a tiny portion of the severance
package to buy my first smartphone, an iPhone. This layoff was a lucky event
that set me up for success in observing and adapting to future technology
changes, while the smartphone was always by my side.
2007–Present: Social Media Becomes Infrastructure
Social platforms evolved from novelty to default communication channels.
My experience: I joined early social platforms around 2008 and eventually
disengaged. Currently, professional networking platforms and my website are my preferred
method of communication. My social media experience has taught me to maintain
my identity while sharing original thoughts rather than posting large volumes
of content.
2014–Present: Open Source as the Foundation Layer
Cloud and AI would not exist at scale without open source. Kubernetes has
become the default control plane of modern infrastructure. The formation of the
Agentic AI Foundation has recently reinforced the Linux Foundation’s momentum.
My experience: Having attended most KubeCon events and moderated several
sessions, I watched the technology ecosystem mature firsthand. The fact is that
open, community-driven platforms outpaced proprietary stacks.
2020–Present: Foundation Models and Generative AI
Generative AI is key to driving industry efficiency and transforming day-to-day
interactions.
My experience: I use two of the three most popular Gen AI platforms regularly
for everyday tasks, especially while traveling. For example, the tool helped me
plan the most memorable trip to Canada. During a trip this month to Seoul, I
used it every day to adjust the itinerary based on the weather for the rest of
the journey.
Conclusion: After experiencing all these changes, I
still struggle to predict what is next. Will modern AI-assisted software
development tools make the current breed of software developers obsolete? Will
wearables help us make better real-time decisions? And finally, will AI
eliminate or reduce the need for industry analysts like me? This
unpredictability has led to business planning cycles being conducted in
quarters rather than annually. The next couple of years will reveal the
direction, as it is currently very opaque.
Quantum computing and fusion energy are still in
research labs, but they still need to prove themselves. However, history
suggests that these technologies will eventually mature. The pattern over the
last 25 years shows how transformative technologies start as proof-of-concept
projects, progress to production-grade initiatives, and reward early adopters.
We have seen these changes cause many companies to go bankrupt or be acquired,
while rewarding those organizations that align with the next wave before it crests.