# Episode 201 - 2026 networking, security and eBPF predictions

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## Upcoming eCHO episodes

* Next Episodes:
* Friday, February 6, 2026: Cilium 1.19 (timing and host TBC)
* Friday, February 20th, AI lab with Duffie!

* Other upcoming topics, keep an eye out for announcements:
* Cilium Up & Running Book Launch
* eBPF Hackathon winners
* End user stories with SeatGeek and more

* Please [open an issue](https://github.com/isovalent/eCHO/issues/new/choose) if you have an idea for a topic we should cover or a guest we should invite.

## CiliumCon schedule is live!
* Co-located with KubeCon + CloudNativeCon in Amsterdam
* Monday, March 23 starting at 1:25pm local time
* View the [schedule](https://colocatedeventseu2026.sched.com/overview/type/CiliumCon?iframe=yes&w=100%&sidebar=yes&bg=no) and [register](https://events.linuxfoundation.org/kubecon-cloudnativecon-europe/register/)

## Before we kick off with 2026 and your predictions

I think it is only fair that we see how you did this time last year :-)

#### eBPF will finally come to Windows

#### AI and eBPF's security revolution will arrive but you should remain cautious

#### Funding of eBPF startups will soar

#### Will AI become our next 10x eBPF developer?

#### AI hallucinations will have repercussions on our networks

#### Netkit will see a quasi-immediate widespread adoption

#### Kubernetes becomes the operating model for virtual machines

#### eBPF rejuvenates the networking industry

#### Kubernetes networking adjust to AI workloads

## The actual 2026 predictions!

#### Open Source Usages Goes Under Scrutiny (Ingress NGINX)

#### The Rise of the Kubernetworker

#### VMs on Kubernetes lose their innocence

#### Multicloud starts to look real

#### Nano Segmentation Takes Off

#### Isovalent’s influence inside Cisco becomes visible

#### Identity becomes humanoid, and policy has to follow

#### MCP unlocks real use cases, and real risk