Docker founder Solomon Hykes has announced that he is leaving the company's daily operations. Docker sprang to life in 2013, when Hykes rebranded dotcloud as Docker Inc. and appointed a new CEO with the goal of successfully monetizing the power of container technology. The company celebrated its 5th anniversary in March. In the 5 years since, Docker has pioneered containerization. However, as containers and orchestration became commoditized, Docker Inc. has had to explore other ways to look for revenue.

According to his announcement, Hykes sees a major growth opportunity with the Docker Enterprise Edition and feels the company needs to find a CTO "...with decades of experience shipping and supporting software for the largest corporations in the world." Hykes has been evolving his role within Docker for a while. Last year he stepped down from the role of CTO and became Chief Architect and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors. He had already moved out of the day to day involvement with the project and designated most of the work to maintainers.

Hykes wrote in blog post, “A founder’s departure is usually seen as a dramatic event. Sadly, I must report that reality is far less exciting in this case. I’ve had many roles at Docker over the years, and today I have a new, final one – as an active board member, a major shareholder and, I expect, a high maintenance Docker user. But I will no longer be part of day-to-day operations.”