Join us as Josh and Adriana call BS on the oversimplified vendor neutrality narrative - because switching observability vendors isn't magic, even with OpenTelemetry.

Josh and Adriana walk through the hard truths about OTel vendor neutrality using their favorite analogy: switching from iOS to Android because vCard exists. Sure, your contacts will move, but what about everything else? You'll learn what vendor neutrality actually means in production, why vendor-neutral instrumentation still matters (your code artifacts survive tool changes), the real challenges and pitfalls of switching vendors, and best practices to make the process as pain-free as possible. This episode cuts through the hype with honest talk about what works, what doesn't, and why OpenTelemetry is still valuable even when it's not a magic wand.

Timestamps

0:00 Welcome & Introduction

3:32 Getting Into the Talk

4:28 Origin Story: From LinkedIn Post to Full Presentation

5:35 Standards We Love: USB-C, Stop Signs, McDonald's

8:00 The No Name Brand Analogy

12:45 What Vendor Neutrality Actually Means
18:22 The iOS to Android / vCard Comparison
24:16 What You Lose When Switching Vendors
30:41 Why Vendor-Neutral Instrumentation Matters
36:52 Real Challenges & Pitfalls
42:18 Best Practices for Switching
46:17 Shameless Self-Promotion & Resources
49:03 Wrap-up

How to find Josh & Adriana:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamlee/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianavillela/

Links from the show:

https://opentelemetry.io/

Uncovering the Hard Truth of Vendor Neutrality in OTEL