In June 2025, Kexu Gao focused on stabilizing the pod sandbox lifecycle within the kubernetes/kubernetes repository by addressing a bug in the CRI fake runtime. Kexu delivered a targeted fix in Go that ensured the RemovePodSandbox path invoked the correct removal method, resolving inconsistencies where sandboxes were stopped rather than fully removed. This backend development work improved resource management and reduced the risk of lingering sandboxes, directly enhancing reliability for both CI and production workloads. Through careful debugging and CRI integration, Kexu aligned the sandbox lifecycle with Kubernetes expectations, demonstrating depth in Go programming and Kubernetes internals.