AutoCon Reflections
The AutoCon conferences have been remarkable gatherings of our network automation tribe. The Network Automation Forum (NAF) has fostered an engaged, curious community that's pushing toward what's possible in automated network infrastructure. We’re all very thankful for the passion of Chris & Scott in their efforts to bring ‘our people’ together… and we hope they get very rich along the way! They deserve all the accolades, and more besides. Take a Bow. 
Side Note: Help Me Understand the Money Flow - RFC
They say you should follow the money... and I’m eager to better grasp the macro economics of our sector in transition. A theme I’ll be exploring in more depth later. As my career progresses, i'm looking for ways to add extreme business value structurally - beyond incremental business efficiency in project delivery and design. I want to lead. My initial presumption is we are seeing a slow burn realignment of allocated capital that will be of great benefit to the thought leaders in our space. If anyone can help me understand this better… please reach out.
I’m patient - but I too would like to be rich before I die:
- Being dirt poor...
- Being able to feed myself...
- Being able for afford a Vision Pro & Cisco U subscription...
NAFs Central Premise
Let’s begin with the NAF's negatively framed tagline and central question: "Why hasn't network automation seen full adoption yet?” which is an appropriately provocative query that doubtless resonates but feels out of kilter, to me. Mostly because I believe we are in the new golden era of networking, filled with the most exciting tools, systems, and platforms, and an unprecedented tolerance for experimentation and failure. It’s ironic that many of the vendors we moan about as automation obstacles have, in their oligopolistic malaise, opened the market for the very companies sponsoring these conferences, allowing them to thrive in spaces previously under the iron fist of the big hardware players.
These conferences are for engineers rather than companies so its appropriate to interrogate that question with more regard to our professional joy, as network tinkerers, as opposed to accrued business value, as corporate monsters... ultimately crucial though that is! And from that perspective, as far as I can tell, everything is going great! But I’m a moron so don’t listen to me.
Let's get into what I’ve gathered from these conferences, focusing on my favorite presentations from the most recent AutoCon1 in Amsterdam (because the content was much better than AutoCon0 in Denver), before placing all this in the context of where I see network automation heading and drawing a quasi analogy to the current intellectual zeitgeist of societal loops and The Four Turnings. It’s a stretch... but it kinda fits.