Well, even Kubernetes isn't just K8s anymore, but it is certain that Cloud native isn't simply just Kubernetes. I saw the assertion that cloud native is turning into K8s, but I think that has more to do with your vantage point rather than what is going on in the wild.

Don't get me wrong, K8s and containers are wildly popular, and do have a lot of weight. But there is a lot of VM based applications out there, as well as a strong amount of serverless stuff. I talk about serverless and Lambda in other entries, and that is a very popular way to be cloud native.

Can a VM be cloud native? Sure, why not. To me, cloud native is about embracing the paradigm, not in the specific tech you use. Lambda are a good fit for lightweight processes and things that don't require serious persistence, while containers excel at small services. There is a good amount of room for beefy apps that do complicated synethesis or work with partial results possibly cached over multiple sessions,

Done right, a more beefy app can still leverage tools like managed databases, SaaS APIs and other advantages like autoscaling. An example of such an app could be a retail house reno app, where you can starr with photos or measurements and demolish/alter/enhance as many times as you want. My imagined app would do things like estimate time needed for an activity, what tools are needed and what materials aee required. It would offer options to rent or buy for tools, and a variety of finishes material wise, with things like cost and lead times needed. This allows a potential renovator to build out several optiions and even visualize them. So, a renovator coudld compare something like dividing a room to create two spaces with extending the house footprint and creatibg three rooms with the additional space. By keeping tabs on a few options, you could visually compare outcomes, understand timelines and get a handle on cost comparisons. The various assets required to supoort the digital pieces might require non-trivial amounts of disk storage, which might be best suited to a VM.

Now, this is just an example, but done right, I think even VMs can be cloud oriented and even considered native.