Gene Kim founded Tripwire Inc., a company specializing in security software for business, and he served as the CTO of Tripwire for 13 years, In 2014, he began organizing the DevOps Enterprise Summit, or Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit, which studies transformations in the technology of large organizations. Kim has published multiple works, including The Unicorn Project, the sequel to The Phoenix Project; Wiring the Winning Organization, which is a Wall Street Journal bestseller; The DevOps Handbook, the book Reid asks Palmer to write at the end of The Phoenix Project; and Accelerate, which won the Shingo Publication Award. Kim could be compared to Palmer in The Phoenix Project.

Kevin Behr founded the Information Technology Process Institute and is the CIO and Chief Strategist for Assemblage Pointe, which offers consulting, mentorship, and coaching services for IT organizations. Behr is known for his communication and speaking abilities and is often called to speak about technology and management. He is the author of The Visible Ops Handbook, The Definitive Guide to IT Management, and The Phoenix Project. Behr is similar to Reid in The Phoenix Project, with 25 years of IT management experience, former roles like CTO and CIO at a variety of companies, and a focus on consulting and mentorship.