Mike Julian
mikejulian.com
Mike Julian
@mikejulian.com
Cofounder/CEO at DuckbillHQ.com. @mike_julian on Twitter
Pinned
Consulting 101:

My top 10 lessons in getting paid to give advice. 🧵
Last day at re:Invent!

I'm at booth #1217 through this afternoon if you want to connect.
December 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Dealing with complex cloud contracts?
I'm at #1217 demoing Skyway. Let's talk.
#reInvent #AWSreInvent
December 4, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Remember this night? Atomic Liquors, a packed patio, and re:Invent finally feeling alive again in 2022. We’re running it back on Wednesday. Join us if you’re in town!
RSVP: luma.com/5naymwo1
December 4, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Tomorrow night we're hosting a casual gathering during re:Invent with friends from RedMonk and Heavybit. If you've been meaning to RSVP, now's the time.
RSVP: luma.com/5naymwo1
Last Week in AWS/Duckbill x RedMonk x Heavybit at re:Invent 2025 · Luma
Need to escape the madness on the strip at re:Invent? Join Duckbill, RedMonk, and Heavybit at Atomic Liquors in downtown Vegas. The best party at re:Invent,…
luma.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Before re:Invent's keynote: breakfast with @QuinnyPig, @mike_julian, @jpatanooga, and fellow cloud practitioners.

Mon Ami Gabi, Tuesday, December 2. No sales pitch. Just fuel and conversation.
RSVP: luma.com/npyv1y2k
AWS re:Invent Pre-Keynote Breakfast · Luma
No Sales. Just Baguettes, My Cloud, and Mes Amis. Join Corey Quinn (Co-Founder, Duckbill Group), Mike Julian (Co-Founder, Duckbill Group) and Josh Patterson…
luma.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
If your re:Invent week isn't complete without witnessing Corey Quinn interact with actual humans, this is your moment.
Wednesday at 7pm. Corey will be... well, Corey.
You can decide whether that's the reason you're attending or the challenge you're embracing.
RSVP: luma.com/5naymwo1
Last Week in AWS/Duckbill x RedMonk x Heavybit at re:Invent 2025 · Luma
Need to escape the madness on the strip at re:Invent? Join Duckbill, RedMonk, and Heavybit at Atomic Liquors in downtown Vegas. The best party at re:Invent,…
luma.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Missed your AWS spend commitment? Don't panic. AWS has a neat trick with a hidden "available balance" that lets you kick that shortfall down the road, as long as you keep signing new deals. Learn how to play their game.

#finops
November 26, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Keynote preparation: breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi.

Real food, strong coffee, honest conversation about enterprise cloud realities.

Join us Tuesday, December 2 before the announcements begin.

RSVP: luma.com/npyv1y2k
AWS re:Invent Pre-Keynote Breakfast · Luma
No Sales. Just Baguettes, My Cloud, and Mes Amis. Join Corey Quinn (Co-Founder, Duckbill Group), Mike Julian (Co-Founder, Duckbill Group) and Josh Patterson…
luma.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
We're teaming up with RedMonk and Heavybit to host a relaxed off-the-clock gathering during re:Invent.
No demos, no presentations—just a chance to connect with people who shape this industry.
Whether you're new to the scene or a long-timer, we'd love to see you there.
RSVP: luma.com/5naymwo1
Last Week in AWS/Duckbill x RedMonk x Heavybit at re:Invent 2025 · Luma
Need to escape the madness on the strip at re:Invent? Join Duckbill, RedMonk, and Heavybit at Atomic Liquors in downtown Vegas. The best party at re:Invent,…
luma.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Trying to negotiate with AWS when your spend is shrinking? You have the negotiating leverage of a wet napkin. The only winning move is not to play. Let your contract expire, slash your costs, and then come back to the table from a position of power.

#finops
November 24, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Is your entire FinOps "team" just one person who looks perpetually haunted? The centralized vs. decentralized debate is a trap. The real answer is a hybrid "Cost Champions" model—like little sleeper agents of fiscal responsibility embedded in your teams.

#finops
November 21, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Pre-keynote breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi with @QuinnyPig, @mike_julian, @jpatanooga, and practitioners who know the first question about any new service is always about cost.

Tuesday, December 2. Complimentary. Straightforward.

RSVP: luma.com/npyv1y2k
AWS re:Invent Pre-Keynote Breakfast · Luma
No Sales. Just Baguettes, My Cloud, and Mes Amis. Join Corey Quinn (Co-Founder, Duckbill Group), Mike Julian (Co-Founder, Duckbill Group) and Josh Patterson…
luma.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Started planning re:Invent? Good. Now plan your exit strategy from the Venetian.
We're throwing "the best party at re:Invent" with RedMonk and Heavybit. Wed, Dec 3 @ 7pm at Atomic Liquors.
Selfie with Corey or avoid him entirely? Both valid.
RSVP: luma.com/5naymwo1
Last Week in AWS/Duckbill x RedMonk x Heavybit at re:Invent 2025 · Luma
Need to escape the madness on the strip at re:Invent? Join Duckbill, RedMonk, and Heavybit at Atomic Liquors in downtown Vegas. The best party at re:Invent,…
luma.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The day has come where we get to announce what we've been working on for the past year 😍

www.duckbillhq.com/blog/skyway-...
Skyway: Cloud cost management for the 9-figure club
Introducing Skyway: contract management for enterprise cloud spend. Built by the team overseeing tens-of-billions in enterprise cloud spend.
www.duckbillhq.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Want to start a FinOps program? The secret first step: do almost nothing. Just measure everything and show people the numbers. Let the gentle, persistent shame of a public dashboard work its magic. You'll be amazed how quickly costs go down.

#finops
October 24, 2025 at 2:03 AM
So you want to know how your cloud spend stacks up against the competition? Great. Do you also want to be profoundly mediocre? Chasing benchmarks strips away everything unique about your business. Compete with the only company that matters: yourself, last month.

#finops
October 23, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Should you use an AWS reseller? For the most part, no. But there are exactly three situations where they aren't a complete waste of time. If you're just buying AWS from them and getting nothing else, you've just added a useless—and expensive—middleman.

#finops
October 23, 2025 at 3:52 AM
The first San Francisco #FinOps meetup is *tonight* at 5:30! Come hang out!

lu.ma/v75d6o5e
San Francisco FinOps Meetup: Cloud Cost Insights & Networking · Luma
Join fellow FinOps pros, finance, engineers, and enthusiasts for an evening of insights and conversation in the heart of San Francisco. 5:30 PM – Doors open &…
lu.ma
August 26, 2025 at 9:30 PM
If you're in San Francisco on Tuesday, we're hosting the first ever San Francisco FinOps Meetup in FiDi! Join us! lu.ma/v75d6o5e
San Francisco FinOps Meetup: Cloud Cost Insights & Networking · Luma
Join fellow FinOps pros, finance, engineers, and enthusiasts for an evening of insights and conversation in the heart of San Francisco. 5:30 PM – Doors open &…
lu.ma
August 23, 2025 at 9:16 PM
👏
Just wow: Brex looked at what paid newsletters corporate credit card customers at 30,000+ companies subscribe, and @Pragmatic_Eng is the 3rd most popular, and the most popular one for software engineering.

Right after Stratechery and Lenny’s Newsletter:
August 23, 2025 at 8:31 PM
I know I'm supposed to be in Vegas for re:Invent but, uhh, the Excel World Championship Finals are in Vegas at the same time 🤔
August 21, 2025 at 3:02 AM
A whole lot of SaaS products have been touting their cost optimization capabilities since ZIRP ended.

I think "can manage its own costs" is tablestakes for most SaaS products now to such a degree that it's not even worth mentioning in the core features--it's just _expected_.
August 18, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Just realized every major Vegas strip hotel is now unionized.

Venetian unionized last August. I wonder how long before "Relocate re:Invent" made it to someone's agenda--minutes? hours? 😆
August 5, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Amazon acquiring Bee is a pretty strong admission that they can't make Alexa work.

www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...
Bee is joining Amazon and we couldn’t be more excited! | Maria de Lourdes Zollo
Bee is joining Amazon and we couldn’t be more excited! When we started Bee, we imagined a world where AI is truly personal, where your life is understood and enhanced by technology that learns with ...
www.linkedin.com
July 23, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Just doin some wild shit in studio with @quinnypig.com today 🤘
July 22, 2025 at 9:38 PM