April 2026: Focused on stabilizing the Watermark Pod Autoscaler (DataDog/watermarkpodautoscaler). Key accomplishment: implemented a fix to the Recommender Feedback Loop during rolling updates by ensuring the recommender receives the intended replica count (Spec.Replicas) rather than the transient Status.Replicas. This prevents the +1 escalation loop and improves upgrade predictability. Commit 70e84259873f1968df82d43a7424a21403363ead documents the change, with co-authors Claude Opus and steven.blumenthal. Impact: reduces unnecessary replica churn during upgrades, stabilizes deployment timelines, and lowers operational costs. The change maintains ReadyReplicas reporting when needed, preserving visibility into actual running pods while avoiding escalation loops. Technologies/skills demonstrated: Kubernetes rolling updates, autoscaler feedback loops, debugging complex reconciliation logic, Git-based change management, cross-team collaboration, and clear documentation.