iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 13/08/2026

New MonkCast! I talked with Sehjung Hah from @broadcom.bsky.social about the work they've done to shift the VCF platform from dashboard-centric operations to API-first, programmable workflows.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 15/07/2026

When you cash in your kids’ BookIt coupons and realize that you also deserve a little something for your exemplary summer reading (with a cross-realization that you have grownup money and can order what you want)

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 29/06/2026

dammit, I am at 10273 Spotted Owl Ave looking for 2+ window replacements this week if only I had the correct hair color for this deal!

Redhead, its Sam. We are quoting window replacements near 10271 Spotted Owl Ave this week. Are you looking to replace 2+ windows?

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 03/06/2026

New on the MonkCast! JSON Schema underpins every OpenAPI spec, MCP tool, and LLM structured output, but mostly nobody talks about it. Come listen to Juan Cruz Viotti as we chat about the power that comes from caring about a technology layer everyone else is ignoring.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 27/05/2026

our application to the animal rescue said "our house is already baby proofed" with such confidence. alas...

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 30/04/2026

Neither are better than @lilylachance.bsky.social's edit though:

Kate depicted on a pretend Weezer album cover

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 30/04/2026

There was a moment during this video production where we thought we wouldn't have access to @kateholterhoff.com's picture with Weezer. I made this masterpiece as a placeholder, and I think it's pretty good. But you should probably watch the video and see the real one.

stick figure drawings of Weezer with Kate in the middle

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 30/04/2026

as someone who has battled with the model to try to get it to stop saying 'goblins' I feel somewhat vindicated reading this also... cc/ @quinnypig.com

"Google Doc screenshot goblin" is some shit Corey Quinn would say to me. You're not my nemesis, Chatty, but you're going to be if you keep this up.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 29/04/2026

I recently filmed a MonkCast episode with Audrey Bian from Broadcom. She explained the features of the latest VKS 3.6 release and talked me through how the platform benefits various roles in the enterprise. Check out the full episode (with visuals!) here: redmonk.com/videos/vks-a...

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 21/04/2026

I recorded a delightful conversation with Jay Thontakudi, talking about how developers and platform teams can benefit from VMware's partnership with Canonical

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 19/03/2026

kicking off #monkigras with @monkchips.com! (this year’s conference is about preparedness, with a decidedly RedMonk amount of chaos mixed in)

James in stage, sponsor signage in background. Thank you sponsors!

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 19/03/2026

I love that @nathenharvey.bsky.social is making sure we all have enough fucks to give

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 14/03/2026

from now on i will now be introducing myself as “rachel with technology“

Spam text message that starts, “hey Rachel, this is Pasqual with technology”

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 04/03/2026

from an outsider's perspective, I spent 20 minutes this morning booking appointments. but that myopic view erases the 6 months of avoidance, denial, and general anxiety it took to get me to this 20 minutes. please respect my art.

It always reminds me of the story about the woman who approached Picasso in a restaurant, asked him to scribble something on a napkin, and said she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso complied and then said, “That will be $10,000.”

“But you did that in thirty seconds,” the astonished woman replied.

“No,” Picasso said. “It has taken me forty years to do that.”

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 24/02/2026

There are always so many gems in this newsletter.

First of all, Algorhythm is an incredible name for a karaoke-pivoting-to-AI company. Second, here is its announcement that “its SemiCab platform in live customer deployments is enabling its customers’ internal operations to scale freight volumes by 300% to 400% without a corresponding increase in operational headcount.”

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 29/12/2025

Maybe not every SaaS service needs a year in review...

"Your 2025 review is here: see the expenses that defined your year" -- year end review of my corporate expenses

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 29/12/2025

our kids sleep with stuffed animals that you can warm up in the microwave before bed. the result is super cozy, but it’s always a little unsettling to be the person in charge of nuking the baby animals.

Axolotl, seal, and bobcat cooking in the microwave

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 20/12/2025

Still can’t speak Spanish past what I remember from high school, still terrible at chess, still fiercely protective of my streak

Duolingo 12 year anniversary celebration

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 19/12/2025

The @redmonk.com team allows* me to plan activities for the team holiday happy hour every year, and I am SO EXCITED for today's Show and Tell festivities. *begrudgingly allows

RedMonk Holiday Party 2026
Ho-ho-hope you’re ready to reveal the treasures and curios that have (until now) been lurking just off camera on all our Zoom calls; it’s time for RedMonk Show and Tell!
We’re going to do 3 rounds of show and tell at the holiday happy hour on Dec 19.
Choose your items in advance and have them within reach on Zoom.
Each person gets one minute per round to present their item and explain why they chose it.
Interpret the prompts as creatively as you’d like; weird, entertaining, and unexpected selections highly encouraged. :)

Round 1: Something You’ve Given Up On
Ideas:
- a book you did not finish
- a hobby you were sure you’d love but only did twice
- a device that hasn’t held a charge since the Obama administration
- your DVD collection even though you no longer own a DVD player
Take the team into a corner of your proverbial junk drawer.

Round 2: Something In Your Home That You’d Classify As “Chaotic Good”
Ideas:
- the toy your cat loves but makes the the worst noise
- the cute mug that turns to magma in the microwave
- the Lego brick you most recently stepped on
- the creepy doll that you feel morally obligated to keep because your grandmother made it
If it causes chaos, confusion, or existential dread while still earning its place in your home, it counts.

Round 3: Presenter’s Choice
Ideas:
- your favorite object on your desk
- your most sentimental treasure
- your weirdest possession
What do you have that needs its moment to shine?

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 20/11/2025

Yesterday my kids' hypothetical was "what if the word 'poop' meant 'tickle' and the word 'tickle' meant 'poop'?" Anyways, in think this particular line is tickle.

Such gains would allow the economy to grow faster without kicking off inflation, something economists describe as raising the “speed limit” for noninflationary growth. Increased productivity and a larger economy provide us with more opportunities to address the problems that my generation is leaving our kids and grandkids: high levels of debt, climate change and excessive income inequality.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 11/11/2025

“we’re taking another selfie, this time look like you like us” Getting ready for @redmonk.com beers with @sogrady.org and @kateholterhoff.com Join us at 7:00 and see if Steve gets more smiley as the night progresses

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 11/11/2025

This #kubecon keynote from @puerco.mx and @staceypotter.bsky.social is an absolute delight. more luchadore-themed talks please!

Stacey and Adolfo on stage (with Adolfo in a luchadore mask)

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 06/11/2025

fwiw United it making everything refundable; my guess is Delta does too? www.united.com/en/us/newsro...

And importantly, any customer traveling during this period is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly – even if their flight isn't impacted. That includes non-refundable tickets and those customers with basic economy tickets.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 05/11/2025

LMAO. @kateholterhoff.com accidentally turned on Zoom's AI Companion at the start of a call and then immediately turned it off. It still sent us a recap.

Meeting assets for Zoom Meeting are ready!

Meeting summary

Quick recap

Kate expressed frustration about an AI companion feature that she felt was misleading, and Rachel suggested turning it off.

Next steps

Next steps were not generated due to insufficient transcript.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 30/10/2025

What do you get when you mix Akamai's edge network with @fermyon.com's WebAssembly platform? A fun conversation about what’s next for serverless edge computing! Join Allen Duet (Akamai) and Matt Butcher (Fermyon) as we talk about distributed serverless compute. redmonk.com/videos/akama...

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 28/10/2025

Normally I try to call them retros but I think post-mortem is correct in this instance.

message that reads:

but really if we want to place the blame anywhere.... and hear me out... really it's my dead grandma's fault.)

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 16/10/2025

next day’s function high-class luncheon #dreamforce

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 15/10/2025

I am a sucker for branded latte art

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 09/10/2025

The CRA is rewriting the rules of selling software. After 2027, anything sold in Europe must meet strict security standards. This will reshape how we build, patch, and monetize software, and how we work with open source. I spoke with Mike Milinkovich of the Eclipse Foundation to learn more.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 01/10/2025

Thank you @dynatrace.com team for enabling an amazing #monktoberfest cruise!!!

Dyantrace team sponsor of the dinner on the Mknktoberfest cruise

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 30/09/2025

a text from @quinnypig.com describing his layover at the Denver International Airport:

text message that says "the horse that killed its creators is my spirit animal."

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 06/09/2025

I wish I could convey the absolute power the axolotl has over the K-5 demographic in our neighborhood. Axolotl shirts. Stickers. Toys. Stuffies. Axolotl drawings gifted to friends. I truly couldn’t count how many axolotl coloring pages my kids have done. All hail the all-powerful axolotl.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 28/08/2025

does anyone else sing "Remember Me" from Coco every time they click that box during a log in flow?

Username > password > REMEMBER ME though I have to say goodbye remember me don't let it make you cry > log in :)

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 29/07/2025

I was instructed to find a ~1 minute long promotional soundbite of my conversation with @kat.lol, but I feel pretty confident I can sell you with just 5 seconds. Come hear the whole thing, it's a delight: redmonk.com/videos/kat-c...

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 18/06/2025

Our problem is that the veracity of Stack Overflow as source data is increasingly questionable. Tags for the top 20 programming languages in the last period were roughly 10% of the volume of questions at Stack Overflow's peak. redmonk.com/rstephens/20...

A bar chart titled “Stack Overflow Tags Over Time” shows the volume of questions asked about RedMonk’s Top 20 programming languages as percentage of max, from 2012 to 2024

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 18/06/2025

Our analysis dates back to 2012. We correlate cumulative language usage as seen through non-forked PRs on public GitHub repos against questions asked on Stack Overflow. It's an incomplete story, but gives us a pulse on language traction using publicly available data. redmonk.com/rstephens/20...

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 18/06/2025

Behold: @redmonk.com's Top 20 Languages Over Time, the decline of the Stack Overflow tags that feed the analysis

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 20/05/2025

It's my first #GoogleIO and I'm kind of hyped for the keynote. It's a beautiful day at Shoreline, and I'm digging the chillwave music from Toro y Moi. It's so much better than a loud house band, and fits with the vibe code theme they're laying out thus far.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 02/05/2025

Heroku's PaaSt and Present: an exploration of Heroku's recent platform rewrite redmonk.com/rstephens/20...

Heroku recently launched Fir, a major platform rewrite that represents one of the most significant technical undertakings for the company of late. The replatforming effort was aimed at modernizing Heroku’s underpinnings while preserving its core promise: simple deployment and developer-friendly workflows.

But why now? To understand what Fir means and why it matters we have to look back at the road that led us here.

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 30/04/2025

you know a booth is good when people message you pictures of it! LOOK at the Kiteworks RSA booth - it is the conference booth of my dreams! 🐐🐐🐐 the only way it would be better would be if they were baby goats wearing sweaters. maybe next year... now I have to go to RSA to see. cc @circlejtp.me

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 29/04/2025

excuse me, what? my linkedin account is old enough to vote?

screenshot of "You joined LinkedIn 18 years ago!" banner

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 28/03/2025

I had #monkigras FOMO yesterday, but Day 2 at home really turned things around for me. The ice chips in the ER made it *almost* as good as being there in person to hear world-class tech talks, see friends, and indulge in ridiculously decadent catering. Almost. Really close second.

Hanging out in the emergency room instead of the best conference in London

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 14/03/2025

Some thoughts from the @redmonk.com team on the recent IBM M&A news. Come read our deal analysis on the @hashicorp.com merger and the @datastax.com acquisition announcement. cc/ @sogrady.org @monkchips.com @kellyann.bsky.social redmonk.com/rstephens/20...

HashiCorp market cap declining over time

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 27/02/2025

I had such a wonderful time chatting with @itsthatladydev.bsky.social and ag11.dev from @github.com DevRel. We talked about making technology and open source more accessible to everyone, no matter your educational background or your geography. Check it out! redmonk.com/blog/2025/02...

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 20/02/2025

I will never not be excited about how cool my job is. I was in a mini-rain forest today!

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Rachel Stephens @rstephens.me · 13/02/2025

I sat down with @alex.zenla.io to discuss @edera.dev's approach to container isolation and securing modern computing. I especially enjoyed the discussion about why technologies like eBPF and WASM are useful but not silver bullets. It's a great one, check it out! redmonk.com/blog/2025/02...

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