Cormac Hogan, a Director and Chief Technologist at VMware, explores the Couchbase Autonomous Operator for Kubernetes, which is recommended over the traditional StatefulSet method for managing Couchbase databases. He details the deployment of Couchbase within its own Kubernetes namespace on a VMware infrastructure, emphasizing the modifications needed to accommodate this setup, such as creating a new namespace, configuring service accounts, and adjusting YAML files. Hogan also highlights the operator's functionalities, including downloading Docker images, creating custom resource definitions, and monitoring events. He provides insights into handling persistent volumes and overcoming issues with the bundled load-generating tool, "pillowfight," to successfully deploy and manage Couchbase clusters. The deployment is part of a Kubernetes cluster running on VMware PKS, vSphere, and vSAN infrastructure, demonstrating the operator's effectiveness in a cloud-native environment.