I wanted to make it in person for Kip's Celebration Day, but I'm helping family uproot their lives from Staten Island to Charlotte.
First, I wanted mention one of Kip's greatest qualities. He's an excellent judge of character. He hired me in 2015.
Kip is an OG. If you're not sure what that means, visit Urban Dictionary. He's one of the smartest people I know and a true distinguished engineer. Kip doesn't prescribe to the let's just get it done philosophy that we've sadly grown accustomed to. He'll spend time researching all angles and understanding the why. It's that intellectual curiosity combined with a passion for perfection that makes him a powerhouse.
Over the last few weeks, I've had the time to read his detailed notes and dive into his container ecosystem code. What Kip's built is truly exceptional and a hell of an achievement. We really should consider open sourcing that code and releasing it up to larger DevSecOps community.
Talking to Kip is sometimes like drinking out a gushing fire hydrant. You get used to filtering out everything you don't absolutely need and just focusing on what's needed to get your job done. That's a short-sighted approach. It's those seemingly irrelevant tidbits that are the most important. Watch his videos. Those seemingly tangential turns are anything but.
It's difficult to express how impactful Kip has been in my life. I won't even try except to say that Kip is responsible for setting and continuing to set in motion series of events that has ultimately led to a fulfilling personal life and professional career.
He is my role model. Most TS staff will tell you that I've shared on multiple occasions that I want to do what Kip does - which isn't work. It's play. His algorithm is straight forward. Embrace the technology. Do a deep-dive, navigate the underbelly. Understand the why. Bend it to his will. And finally impart some of that knowledge to impatient and sometimes impertinent upstarts.
I am blessed to have Kip as a teacher, a mentor, a coach, an advisor, a muse, an idea bouncer offer, a collaborator, and a troubleshooting buddy. I will miss him dearly. It's with this heavy heart that I announce that I too will be departing AIR to follow Kip into the unknown.
Nah, I'm just playing! I've got bills to pay!
Kip, I love you. Thank you for everything you have done for me. You are my hero and I'm a better and happier human and engineer and architect because of you. Thank you Kip!