Yaron Schneider

Co-Founder & CTO of Diagrid

Open source pioneer enabling scalable AI and agentic workflows for the cloud-native era.

About Yaron

Yaron Schneider is a visionary technologist and open source pioneer who has fundamentally shaped how developers build distributed applications. As co-creator of Dapr and KEDA—both graduated CNCF projects—he has enabled tens of thousands of enterprises to build more resilient, scalable cloud-native systems. Dapr is currently used by an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 enterprise users worldwide, while KEDA adoption may be even broader, though it is more difficult to estimate precisely.

Now co-founder of Diagrid, Yaron is building the next generation of platforms that make it easier to develop and operate distributed applications and AI agents. His deep expertise in distributed systems, combined with years of leadership at Microsoft on scalable cloud architecture, positions him at the forefront of the agentic AI revolution.

Recognized as an industry innovator in open source and platform engineering, Yaron bridges the gap between cutting-edge research and practical developer tools. His work continues to define how modern applications are built, deployed, and scaled in the cloud-native era.

Key Achievements

Both projects graduated from CNCF and are used by thousands of organizations

Led innovation in scalable cloud architecture and developer tools

Building the future of distributed applications and AI agents

Recognized leader in community-driven development

Transformative Topics That Resonate

Deep conversations about open source leadership, distributed systems, and the future of AI-powered development.

Scaling the Open Source Stack

How Dapr and KEDA changed the way developers build and scale distributed applications in the cloud-native ecosystem.

From Code to Community

What it really takes to launch and lead successful open source projects from conception to CNCF graduation.

Agentic Systems & AI Workflows

Architectures for building distributed, intelligent applications that can reason, plan, and execute autonomously.

Leading Distributed Engineering Teams

Practices and pitfalls when building developer-first infrastructure across global, remote engineering organizations.

Startup Vision After Big Tech

What inspired the leap from Microsoft platform leadership to founding Diagrid and building the future of distributed systems.

Catalyst Launch

Building a durable execution workflow engine and agentic AI platform on top of Dapr that enables developers to create intelligent, distributed applications.

Enterprise Developer Experience

How to design platforms and tools that scale from startup MVPs to enterprise-grade distributed systems.

Founder Challenge Questions

Generate deep, host-friendly questions that explore Yaron's founder journey, open source leadership, and vision for distributed systems.

Sample Questions:

• What's one belief you had at Microsoft that you had to unlearn when founding Diagrid?

• What challenge from your open source leadership taught you the most about scaling impact?

• What would you say is the difference between being a maintainer and being a founder?

Questions That Spark Deep Conversations

Thoughtfully crafted questions designed to unlock Yaron's insights on open source leadership, distributed systems, and the future of developer tools.

As the original author of two CNCF projects, how did Dapr and KEDA evolve from concept to thriving global communities?

Explores the journey from technical innovation to community building and open source governance.

What are the critical success factors when leading distributed engineering teams working on foundational technologies?

Dives into leadership challenges specific to building infrastructure that other developers depend on.

How do you envision enterprise applications evolving with AI and agentic frameworks over the next decade?

Focuses on the intersection of distributed systems, AI, and enterprise software architecture.

What ultimately drove your decision to leave Microsoft and launch Diagrid?

Personal journey from big tech platform leadership to startup founder with a clear mission.

What's your advice to technical founders looking to scale open source projects into sustainable commercial platforms?

Practical guidance on the open source to business model transition that many technical founders face.

Media Features & Recognition

Yaron's thought leadership in open source, distributed systems, and AI has been featured across major tech conferences and industry publications.

Dapr and Developer Innovation

KubeCon Europe 2025

Keynote presentation on Dapr and Developer Innovation in the cloud-native ecosystem

2025

Building Durable Multi-Agent AI Workflows

Diagrid Videos

Deep dive into building durable multi-agent AI workflows with Dapr Agents

2024

Build Robust Agentic Workflows

Technical walkthrough on building robust agentic workflows with Dapr Agents

Dapr Workflow Patterns

YouTube

Exploring workflow patterns and architectural approaches with Dapr

Distributed Systems Deep Dive

Technical presentation on distributed systems architecture and patterns

Cloud-Native Innovation

Discussion on cloud-native innovation and the future of distributed applications

Diagrid Stealth Series A Funding

BizJournals

Coverage of Diagrid's stealth Series A funding and vision for distributed application development

2022

Highlights & Launches

Launching Catalyst: A durable workflow platform built on Dapr that enables developers to create intelligent, distributed applications with unprecedented ease and scale.

CNCF Success: Co-creator of Dapr and KEDA, both graduated CNCF projects. Dapr is currently used by an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 enterprise users worldwide for building resilient, cloud-native systems.

Microsoft Legacy: Led platform innovation at Microsoft, now scaling tools and frameworks for the next generation of cloud-native and AI-powered applications.

Ready to Feature Yaron Schneider?

Bring insights on open source innovation, distributed systems leadership, and the future of AI-powered development to your audience. Yaron's deep technical expertise and founder perspective deliver compelling conversations that resonate with technical and business audiences alike.

Perfect For Discussions On:

• Open Source to Enterprise

• CNCF Project Leadership

• Distributed Systems Architecture

• AI and Agentic Workflows

• Developer Experience Design

• Technical Founder Journey

• Platform Engineering

• Cloud-Native Innovation

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