John Willis: The True North of DevOps and DevSecOps
DevOps.com, Monday, August 25th, 2025
Over the last 14-plus years of my journey through DevOps, I've had the good fortune to meet some of the smartest, most generous, most forward-thinking people in our industry.
It's one of the things I'm most thankful for-the friendships and shared learning that come from being part of a community that is always pushing boundaries. And of all the brilliant people I've met, none has been more influential, inspiring, or personally meaningful to me than my friend John Willis.
My only regret is that I didn't get the chance to meet John 30 or 35 years ago. Oh the things we would have explored. For those who've been around DevOps for a while, John needs no introduction. For those newer to the space, John is truly one of the OGs of the DevOps movement.
He has co-authored multiple books on DevOps, spoken at countless DevOpsDays and other events worldwide, and served as one of the great ambassadors of this movement. His boundless curiosity and relentless pursuit of knowledge have taken him far beyond the world of DevOps into areas like artificial intelligence and even quantum computing. And yet, for me, John remains one of the truest reflections of what's good about the DevOps community.