Essay

A thought that had a big impact on me

The more I work in FinOps, the clearer it becomes: it’s not just about data. It’s about people, power, and context.

Frank Contrepois

Frank Contrepois

— 2 min read
A thought that had a big impact on me

This is the LinkedIn post that marks the start of this website...in my head. As all ideas having ideas is easy making them happen takes time. And this kind of website is a never ending task.

#finops #context #enterprisefinops | Frank Contrepois | 10 comments
The more I work in FinOps, the clearer it becomes: it’s not just about data. It’s about people, power, and context. In calls, we talk about “the company” or “the persona” as if there’s only one kind , but there isn’t. A high-margin tech firm where the CTO rules the world doesn’t behave like a low-margin retailer where the CFO holds the power. And you can’t compare a 10-person startup to a 100,000-person enterprise. The politics, incentives, and levers of influence are completely different for the FinOps practitioner. Perhaps it’s time for a next layer of FinOps thinking: one that maps power, context, and complexity as first-class citizens. Because each FinOps decision is a political act shaped by who holds the budget, the trust, and the time. This feels like uncharted territory on the FinOps map. I plan to explore it — and, as always, learn in public, with partners and with you, if you’d like to join me on the journey. Thanks to: Tim O’Brien, Natalie Daley, Benjamin van der Maas, ✨ Erik Norman, Tom Cross and J.R. Storment for each bringing a bit more clarity to my foggy brain on what is next, in my opinion, in FinOps. #finops #context #enterpriseFinOps | 10 comments on LinkedIn
LinkedInFrank Contrepois

The more I work in FinOps, the clearer it becomes: it’s not just about data.

It’s about people, power, and context.

In calls, we talk about “the company” or “the persona” as if there’s only one kind , but there isn’t.

A high-margin tech firm where the CTO rules the world doesn’t behave like a low-margin retailer where the CFO holds the power.

And you can’t compare a 10-person startup to a 100,000-person enterprise. The politics, incentives, and levers of influence are completely different for the FinOps practitioner.

Perhaps it’s time for a next layer of FinOps thinking: one that maps power, context, and complexity as first-class citizens. Because each FinOps decision is a political act shaped by who holds the budget, the trust, and the time.

This feels like uncharted territory on the FinOps map.

I plan to explore it — and, as always, learn in public, with partners and with you, if you’d like to join me on the journey.

Read more