Worked on improving the robustness of the NEG controller within the kubernetes/ingress-gce repository, focusing on startup reliability and error handling rather than new feature development. Addressed a key bug by centralizing initialization checks for the svcNegClient, which helped prevent inconsistent startup states and made error propagation more transparent. The technical approach involved refactoring Go code to remove redundant nil checks and streamline the initialization path, resulting in cleaner and more maintainable controller logic. Leveraged skills in code refactoring, controller development, and Kubernetes to enhance maintainability and ensure that initialization failures are surfaced early during the controller’s lifecycle.