Ask Me Anything with Gouveia on March 21, 2025
Plone Board Member Gouveia: Collaboration, Not AI, is the Future of IT, Says Newly Elected Official
Gouveia, newly elected to the Plone Foundation Board, gave a revealing "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session during the March 21, 2025 Plone Tune-Up Day, live in the Discord channel, during the 17h CET standup. He spoke about his career, why people use his surname as if it is his first name, his views on the future of IT, and his ambitious plans for the Plone community. The session was not recorded, but that resulted in a very relaxed and open atmosphere. Gouveia's son even popped in to the conversation for a few minutes to say hello.
Here's a summary from notes taken during the AMA.
The Brazilian IT professional, a self-described motorcycle enthusiast and father of two, said collaboration is the key trend in the industry, and he downplayed the hype surrounding AI. While acknowledging the usefulness of tools like ChatGPT, he warned against overreliance and highlighted the significant security risks associated with their use. "ChatGPT is not a god," he stated emphatically, citing instances of users inadvertently sharing sensitive documents.
Gouveia's experience working within the Brazilian government provided compelling context for his emphasis on collaboration. He spoke about the significant challenges of securing funding for public sector projects and stressed that collaborative efforts, particularly within the Plone community, are crucial for success. He cited the Brazilian government's extensive use of Plone, including the management of nearly 20,000 electoral sites, as a testament to its efficiency and scalability, significantly impacting government transparency and public trust. He referred to the Plone Conference 2024 talk by Lucas Lima on The Technological Megaoperation Behind Brazilian Elections.
His own journey within the Brazilian government showcased the creativity that is sometimes needed when adopting open-source solutions. He recounted a personal anecdote of successfully overcoming internal resistance to migrate a legacy system to Plone, proving its capabilities in a dramatic 2-day challenge. This successful migration to Plone resulted in a significant improvement in functionality and efficiency. The gov.br website, another Plone showcase, is highlighted as a prime example of effective government service visualization.
Looking ahead, Gouveia's primary goal as a Plone Foundation Board member is to establish a comprehensive onboarding program – a “Plone School” – to attract and train new developers. He aims to create a structured learning path, guiding newcomers from basic Python programming all the way to Plone development expertise. This initiative directly addresses a current challenge within the Plone community: a lack of readily available resources for newcomers and a limited pool of contributors, directly impacting support for existing Plone users. He believes this program will transform a current need into a significant opportunity for growth.
Gouveia's AMA was candid and insightful. It was great to see his perspective on the future of both the Plone community and the wider IT landscape, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and community building to keep the open source software world strong.
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