Role at Docker
French-American software engineer who created Docker inside dotCloud and introduced containerization to the world at PyCon 2013.
Docker
Software Engineering & Cloud Containerization PlatformFounded 2013- HQ today: San Francisco, California, USA
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: November 2026
Founders
Who Founded Docker?
Solomon Hykes, Sebastien Pahl, Kamel Founadi · Founded 2013 · HQ today: San Francisco, California, USA
Who founded Docker?
Docker was founded by Solomon Hykes, Sebastien Pahl, Kamel Founadi in 2013. It is now led by Scott Johnston.
- Founders
- Solomon Hykes, Sebastien Pahl, Kamel Founadi
- Founded
- 2013
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, USA
- Number of founders
- 3
- Current CEO
- Scott Johnston
- When was Docker founded?
- Docker was founded in 2013.
- Who started Docker?
- Docker was founded by Solomon Hykes, Sebastien Pahl and Kamel Founadi.
- How old is Docker?
- Docker is 13 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Solomon Hykes, Sebastien Pahl, and Kamel Founadi recognized that developers struggled with the classic problem of 'it works on my machine but not in production.' By leveraging Linux cgroups and namespaces, Hykes created Docker to package an application and all its dependencies into an immutable, portable container that ran identically on any infrastructure.
What each Docker founder did
| Founder | Role at founding | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Solomon Hykes | Founder & Creator | — |
| Sebastien Pahl | Co-Founder | — |
| Kamel Founadi | Co-Founder | — |
Role at Docker
Systems architect and engineer who helped develop dotCloud's early distributed infrastructure and container management systems.
Role at Docker
Entrepreneur and technologist who co-founded dotCloud and helped establish its initial operations and engineering teams.
Docker: CEO & Leadership History
Full timeline →Scott Johnston
Executive Leadership
Vikas Gautam
Finance & Operations
Keep researching Docker
Who Founded Docker? FAQ
Who founded Docker?
Docker was founded in 2013 by an entrepreneurial team committed to innovating Software Engineering & Cloud Containerization Platform.
What was the inspiration behind founding Docker?
The founders were inspired by the inefficiencies, high costs, and fragmented nature of legacy solutions, creating a modern, unified alternative.
Where was Docker originally created?
Docker was originally established in San Francisco, United States.
Are the original founders still involved?
The founding team established the cultural and technical DNA that continues to guide Docker's current executive strategy and product roadmap.
What early technical breakthroughs did the founders achieve?
They designed lightweight, scalable software architectures that bypassed the performance bottlenecks of legacy mainframe and client-server systems.
How did the founders fund the initial development?
Through initial personal savings, angel investments, and early customer design partnership revenues.
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Explore Docker
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.