Interview Request – Academic Research on Kubernetes Governance

[Sebastian Brzosko]

Dear Kubernetes Steering Committee,

My name is Sebastian Brzosko, and I am a bachelor's student at Linköping University in Sweden. Together with my thesis partner, I am conducting research on how open-source software organizations substitute for formal management control mechanisms in the absence of traditional hierarchy and employment contracts.

Kubernetes is one of three cases in our comparative study, selected because of its scale, influence, and its well-documented and openly debated governance structure. We are particularly interested in understanding how the steering committee designs and oversees governance — how contributor behavior is guided, how standards are maintained, and how strategic direction is set without traditional organizational authority.

We are requesting a short interview of 30–45 minutes with one or more steering committee members, conducted remotely at a time convenient to you. All responses will be anonymized and used solely for academic purposes at Linköping University.

Would any committee members be open to a brief conversation? We are happy to share our research proposal or answer any questions about the study.

Best regards,

Sebastian Brzosko and John Hamick

Bachelor's Students, Business Administration

Linköping University

Sebastian Brzosko

[Kat Cosgrove]

Hi Sebastian!

I'm happy to do this. What's your availability next week? I'm in US Mountain Time. 

- Kat Cosgrove

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[Sebastian Brzosko]

Hello, 

Thanks for the response. Would it be possible to set up an interview for Tuesday the 21st? Any time between 10 AM and 4 PM US Mountain Time would work for us. We will have some general questions about Kubernetes, your role in the organization, and management mechanisms used in OSS.

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From: Kat Cosgrove <kat.co...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 7:02:52 PM
To: Sebastian Brzosko <sebb...@student.liu.se>
Cc: stee...@kubernetes.io <stee...@kubernetes.io>
Subject: Re: [k8s-steering] Interview Request – Academic Research on Kubernetes Governance

 

[Kat Cosgrove]

I am available between 10am and 1pm mountain time. :)