Docker spang to life in 2013, when Hykes rebranded dotcloud as Docker Inc. and appointed a new CEO to successfully monetize from containers. The company celebrated its 5th anniversary in March. In these 5 years Docker pioneered containerization and today a tech conversation cannot be had without discussing containers. However, as containers and orchestration became commoditized, Docker Inc. had to explore other ways to monetize from such technologies.
Hykes has been evolving his role within Docker for a while. Last year he stepped down from the role of CTO and became Chief Architect and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors. He had already moved out of the day to day involvement with the project and designated most of the work to maintainers.
Hykes wrote in blog post[1], “A founder’s departure is usually seen as a dramatic event. Sadly, I must report that reality is far less exciting in this case. I’ve had many roles at Docker over the years, and today I have a new, final one – as an active board member, a major shareholder and, I expect, a high maintenance Docker user. But I will no longer be part of day-to-day operations.”