On today’s episode, Andrew Hillier sits down with Manny Patel, a long-time Infrastructure Platform Engineering Leader whose career has spanned multiple focuses, including Kubernetes, automation, and now AI.
Andrew and Manny discuss the accelerating pace of AI innovation, the impact of standardization efforts like MCP, and the emergence of AI agents as powerful force multipliers within enterprise environments. They also dig into how job roles are evolving, what it means to “trust” AI, how prompt engineering is becoming a new way to code, AI native, and where all this might be heading in the next couple of years (or even months!).
It’s a fun, relevant, and honest conversation about the good, the not-so-sure, and everything in between when it comes to AI in enterprise. We hope you have some great takeaways from this episode and can utilize AI in the best possible way for your enterprise.
About our guest:
Manny Patel is an Infrastructure Platform Engineering Leader focused on building the platforms that modern engineering organizations run on. He operates at the intersection of cloud, platform engineering, and developer experience—turning complex infrastructure into scalable, self-service systems that accelerate execution without sacrificing reliability.
With deep experience across AWS, GCP, and Azure, Manny has led large-scale transformations centered on Kubernetes, automation, and infrastructure as code. His approach is pragmatic and outcomes-driven: eliminate toil, standardize what matters, and create the guardrails that allow teams to move fast safely.
Manny is a strong advocate for AI-augmented engineering and operational excellence, pushing organizations toward a future where systems are not just reliable, but increasingly self-optimizing. He’s known for translating strategy into execution —bringing clarity to ambiguity and enabling teams to deliver measurable business impact.
At his core, Manny is a builder of systems and teams—developing high-performing engineers, driving accountability, and creating cultures where ownership and continuous improvement are the norm.
Connect with Manny on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/manny-p/
About Kubex Talks:
Kubex Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Kubex, a Kubernetes, cloud, and AI company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises.
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