Kubernetes adoption continues to grow, with 57% of backend developers using containers and 31% using Kubernetes for orchestration. However, teams often underestimate the complexity of implementing Kubernetes, with 53% saying they did so. Organizations expect ease of use, cost savings, and cloud agnosticism from their Kubernetes implementation, but these expectations are not always met. Successful adoption depends on factors such as technical expertise, team setup, culture, and security considerations. High-performing organizations prioritize secrets management and security, create abstractions to simplify consumption and deployment, and require only a few Kubernetes professionals to support them. Ultimately, understanding that Kubernetes is not a solution to all problems but a foundation for building platforms is key to successful implementation.