Leo Snetsinger is a platform engineer and systems thinker with over a decade of experience designing cloud infrastructure and solving tough technical problems.
Raised in Minnesota, Leo became independent at 16 and built his career from the ground up. With no shortcuts, he taught himself the tools of the trade, eventually earning a Master’s in Information Systems Management and joining the Sigma Beta Delta honour society.
Today, he works as a Senior Platform Engineer, leading critical cloud migrations and building scalable systems using Kubernetes, GitOps, and CI/CD pipelines. He’s helped organisations shift from AWS ECS to EKS, prepare for multi-cloud rollouts, and deploy machine learning models with Ray Serve on Kubernetes.
But Leo’s expertise doesn’t stop at tech. He also founded Homeland Shrimp, an indoor aquaculture business he engineered himself. His self-heating, closed-loop system is a blend of thermodynamics, automation, and sustainable thinking—designed to raise Pacific white shrimp efficiently and responsibly.
Leo volunteers locally, helping seniors with yard care through a Sherburne County initiative. He also supports causes like Imagine Farm, which promote sustainable agriculture.
“I love solving problems—whether it’s scaling a platform or balancing a shrimp tank,” he says. “It’s all systems thinking.”
Leo’s story is one of resilience, purpose, and a drive to build things that last.
Building Systems, Solving Problems: A Conversation with Leo Snetsinger
Q: Leo, let’s start from the beginning. Where did your interest in tech come from?
I had a rough childhood. I’ve been on my own since I was 16. IT was something I could teach myself, so that’s where I started. I liked solving problems and seeing how systems worked.
Q: How did you make the leap into cloud infrastructure and DevOps?
I started out building and supporting systems for small companies. Over time, I got into infrastructure and automation. When Kubernetes took off, I jumped in. I saw how it could change the way we build and deploy software. From there, it snowballed into full platform ownership.
Q: Can you talk about one of your most impactful engineering projects?
One of the biggest was leading a full migration from AWS ECS to Kubernetes (EKS). After that, I introduced GitOps practices with ArgoCD and Argo Rollouts to give teams more control and speed. I also helped set up the foundation for multi-cloud deployments using GKE. We built solid CI/CD pipelines and deployed machine learning models using Ray Serve on Kubernetes. It was all about creating flexible, scalable systems that developers could trust.
Q: How does your work in tech connect with Homeland Shrimp?
It might sound odd, but it’s all systems. I built a self-heating, closed-loop shrimp farm using heat exchangers and nanobubble oxygenation. It’s engineered just like a cloud platform. Every variable—temperature, flow, oxygen—is part of the equation.
Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
Failure teaches you more than success. I made a major mistake five years ago and haven’t had a drink since. It forced me to focus, rebuild, and do better. I’ve learned to set my own standards and keep growing.
Q: Any advice for young people starting from a tough place like you did?
Don’t wait. Start learning. Pick something and build with it. You don’t need permission to get good at what you love. Enjoy the work. That’s the key.
Q: What keeps you going these days?
I love what I do. Tech, farming, solving problems. And I like helping people. I volunteer to help seniors with yard work so they can stay in their homes. It’s simple, but it matters.
Q: Final thoughts?
Keep building. Keep learning. Whether it’s software, a business, or something small—it adds up.
Read more:
Leo Snetsinger on DevOps, Shrimp Farming, and Solving Problems
