Conversation with a Cloud Computing Pioneer, David Young

Conversation with a Cloud Computing Pioneer, David Young

Author: PM Power Consulting April 11, 2025 Duration: 48:12

My guest today is David Young,Founder at Federated Computer. He has been a pioneer in cloud computing even before the term was invented. In fact, he and his team helped invent the term.

In this conversation we could recall many of the developments of a couple of decades ago as well as what keeps him engaged now, at Federated computer.

During this conversation, David touches upon:

  • Introduction and Early Career Journey
  • Transition to Silicon Valley and Startups
  • Contrast Between Corporate and Startup Life
  • Finding Problems to Solve
  • Customer Empathy and Team Dynamics
  • Challenges with Open Source Adoption
  • AI, Open Source, and Future Potential
  • Career Tips for IT and Open Source Enthusiasts
  • David shares his practices and tips to Stay Grounded

About David:

CEO and founder of Joyent — the folks who invented node.js, helped stand up Twitter and the Facebook developer platform, and brought containers to market leading to the Kubernetes revolution. Seven patents. Very experienced raising and deploying venture capital. Sold Joyent to Samsung in 2016.


Started an ultra-premium ice cream company (Honeymoon Brands). Invented unique manufacturing products and processes to put ice cream in glass jars, got in to 700 grocery stores in the West, and learned grocery was a blast. Sold the company in 2018.


I've recently started an agency (Endurancy: https://www.endurancy.com) to take the marketing success I developed at Honeymoon and offer small and medium-sized brands AI-based marketing capabilities.


I’d love to work with a promising company as it develops and grows. I can bring a wealth of experience, mistakes, learnings in fundraising, product and marketing strategy, business and corporate development, engineering development to the company to help it go faster and smarter.


You can reach him @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpaulyoung/


Behind every line of code, there's a person with a story. Software People Stories, from PM Power Consulting, moves beyond abstract theory and polished case studies to explore the real, human experience of building technology. This isn't about hypotheticals; it's a collection of candid conversations with the practitioners themselves-developers, designers, product managers, and architects-who share firsthand accounts from the trenches. They talk about the paths that led to success and, just as importantly, the unexpected detours and failures that provided the most valuable lessons. Each episode delves into the nuanced journey of discovering what users need, designing elegant systems, navigating complex development, and ultimately delivering solutions that matter. By focusing on these personal narratives, the podcast reveals the core of software creation: a blend of technical skill, creative problem-solving, and team dynamics. Listeners gain practical wisdom and relatable perspectives on the challenges and triumphs inherent in the tech industry. Tune in for an honest look at the craft, where the stories of people are just as crucial as the software they build. You'll find this podcast a refreshing source of insight for anyone involved in or curious about the technology and business landscapes, offering career lessons learned the hard way.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Software People Stories
Podcast Episodes
Unleashing Potential with Rajesh Sharma [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:07
In this episode, I am in conversation with Rajesh Sharma, co-founder and chief product officer of ProHance. Rajesh covers a lot of ground starting from his move from Public Sector to SaaS Founder.Rajesh describes his pat…
A real natural with Arundathi Rao [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:41
Host: Chitra Gurjar4 decades and counting, always energized to do something, work is my DNAFrom post and telegraph to giving tuitions to creating her own agency to studyAn advocate for herself, nurturing her desire to se…
Bits, Banking & Business Analytics with Muthusamy Vetrivel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:45
In this episode of Software People Stories, Gayatri speaks with Muthusamy Vetrivel, Manager – Business Analytics at Saudi National Bank (formerly Saudi French Bank), about a career that spans over four decades of technol…
Belong, Don't Blur with Dr. Vaijayanthi Srinivasaraghavan (Viji) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:52
In this deeply personal and inspiring episode of Software People Stories, Gayatri speaks with Dr. Vaijayanthi Srinivasaraghavan (Viji) — a seasoned technology leader, Senior Director at UPS, and a resilient voice for wom…
Beyond Clean Tech: From Science to Scale with Hiranmayee Vedam [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:58
In this episode of Software People Stories, Gayatri sits down with Hiran , Co-founder of Ashwatta Sustainability Ventures (domain Ashwatta.earth) , to explore how climate innovation is evolving beyond buzzwords into real…
Leading with Purpose with Sujatha Ramani [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:05
Sujatha Ramani brings together corporate precision and grassroots purpose. With leadership experience at global companies like HP and Wipro, and two entrepreneurial ventures of her own, she made a deliberate shift into t…
Evolving Workplace Culture with Srini Sundararajan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:57
This is part of the specials we have every year focusing on women in IT.In this conversation, Srini Sundararajan shares his experiences and perspectives on empowering women in the workplace, particularly in IT. Srini's k…
Building Global Tech Solutions with VR Govindarajan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:07
In this episode of Software People Stories, VR Govindarajan, aka Govi, the co-founder and executive chairman of Perfios Software, shares his comprehensive journey from the early days of his career to building successful…
Knowledge Management Insights with Jordan Richards [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:02
In this episode of Software People Stories, Jordan Richards, a Digital Transformation and Knowledge Management technologist, and Founder of Tacitous (www.tacitous.com) a Knowledge Management blueprint and platform design…