Kubernetes is a portable, extensible, open source platform for managing containerized workloads and services, that facilitates both declarative configuration and automation. It creates an abstraction layer over hardware infrastructure, scheduling containers across a cluster of machines.
Kubernetes has become a standard for container orchestration, enabling high scalability and resiliency. It solves environment consistency problems but introduces operational complexity requiring specialized expertise.
Kubernetes is the "Operating System" of the Cloud. It provides a standard API for compute, enabling infrastructure portability and avoiding vendor lock-in. While powerful, we are mindful of its complexity; it should be treated as a platform to build platforms upon, not necessarily the direct interface for every developer.