99 Dev Problems

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel sits down with David Marshall, a Kansas City-based software engineer with a fascinating journey from professional musician and car sales to coding. David shares how he transitioned into tech through a coding bootcamp, landed his first developer role, and leveraged his sales background to become a more effective engineer and communicator. The conve...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems, Tessa Kriesel talks with Matt Whitworth, founder of PureType , about his journey from building his own operating system as a teenager to leading fintech teams and now launching a developer education platform. They discuss imposter syndrome, why developers struggle to invest in their own learning, and how PureType helps engineers level up without the time sink of...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel sits down with Kevin Griffin, a seasoned software consultant, Microsoft MVP, conference organizer, and president of the .NET Foundation. They dive into Kevin’s 20-year journey in tech, from his early days hacking on computers to leading development teams and organizing developer events. Kevin shares his insights on consulting, the evolving role of...

In this candid episode, Tessa Kriesel chats with Clark Sell, founder of That Conference , Unspecified , and From Code to Clarity . The conversation explores the emotional highs and lows of building a community-focused event, lessons learned from navigating a rapidly changing tech landscape, and the challenges of balancing innovation with sustainability. Clark opens up about the evolution of That C...

On this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel is joined by the incredible Tejas Kumar, a seasoned technologist and AI DevRel engineer at DataStax , with over 20 years of experience at companies like Vercel, Spotify, and Zeta. Broadcasting from Berlin, Tejas dives into the art of democratizing AI, showcasing tools like Langflow , a drag-and-drop, low-code solution empowering developers and non...

In this engaging episode of 99 Dev Problems , host Tessa Kriesel welcomes guest, Amy Dutton, a seasoned web developer with 24 years of experience. Amy shares her journey from starting web development at 16 to becoming the lead maintainer of RedwoodJS. The conversation touches on her evolution from design to development, her early career experiences, and her latest ambitious project, Build Twelve —...

In this engaging episode, Tessa Kriesel chats with Nick Taylor, a Developer Advocate at Pomerium, about his journey from software engineering to developer advocacy. They explore the nuances of transitioning into DevRel, the importance of technical expertise, and the unique challenges of advocating for complex products. Nick shares insights from his career in open source, his love for community bui...

In this heartfelt episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel sits down with Alex C. Berk, a seasoned front-end developer at Shipium, to explore his journey through tech, the challenges of scaling systems, and how faith and family shape his career. Alex shares his story of growing from a self-taught coder to a pivotal member of a reunited team of Zulily and Amazon alumni. He dives into his work wit...

In this heartfelt episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel sits down with David Beale, a self-taught technologist and Site Reliability Engineer at PayNearMe, to explore his incredible journey through adversity, creativity, and the tech industry. David shares his story of resilience, beginning with a challenging childhood and unconventional start to his career, building from skateboarding website...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel welcomes Aaron Francis, co-founder of Try Hard Studios, to discuss his unique journey from accountant to developer educator, his love for Laravel, and the grit it takes to thrive in tech and business. Aaron shares how his background in accounting shaped his problem-solving mindset and led to a passion for teaching complex topics like databases and...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel is joined by Brian Casel, founder of Instrumental Products, to discuss his journey from front-end dev to full-stack mastery and his passion for building tools that empower developers. Brian shares insights from his unique career path, transitioning to Ruby on Rails, and the pivotal role AI plays in accelerating development workflows. Brian explain...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel sits down with long-time friend and developer extraordinaire Carl Alexander. Carl shares his journey from building robotics projects as a child to becoming a prominent figure in the WordPress and PHP communities. With a passion for programming deeply ingrained in his DNA, Carl dives into the challenges of navigating a non-linear career path, the j...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel chats with Noah Harris, a senior engineering manager based in Buffalo, New York. Noah shares his journey from Atlanta to Buffalo, his transition from electrical to computer engineering, and his deep passion for coding, leadership, and community. Noah dives into: Why he sees coding as playing with Legos and an art form. His leadership philosophy ro...

In this episode, Tessa Kriesel chats with James Q. Quick, a seasoned developer, speaker, and teacher currently serving as the Head of Developer Experience at MakeSwift , a visual builder integrated with Next.js and part of the BigCommerce ecosystem. James shares his insights on blending developer-centric and marketer-friendly tools, crafting effective documentation, and navigating the ever-evolvin...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems, Tessa Kriesel is joined by Joe Casabona, a systems and automation coach, and the creator behind an incredible resource of podcast and automations templates. Joe shares his journey from software engineering to helping entrepreneurs and content creators streamline their processes through no-code automation. He talks about his unique approach to automation and how...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel sits down with Flo Merian, a seasoned developer, founder, and marketer with a rich history of supporting DevTool startups and building communities. Flo shares insights into his journey, starting from self-taught coding as a teenager to co-founding impactful initiatives like Marketing to Dev, a thriving community for DevTool founders and marketers,...

This week on 99 Dev Problems, Tessa Kriesel chats with Tim Banks. Tim brings a wealth of experience from the tech industry and a unique perspective as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and five-time Pan American medalist. Together, they explore parallels between the discipline of martial arts and the challenges of DevOps, including navigating complex systems, maintaining resilience, and fostering...

In this heartfelt and inspiring episode of 99 Dev Problems , host Tessa Kriesel chats with the multifaceted Kevin Blanco, a DevRel advocate, film enthusiast, and tech professional from Costa Rica. Kevin shares his remarkable journey from humble beginnings, discovering computers in high school, to becoming a passionate community builder and a creative force in developer advocacy. Topics covered inc...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel chats with Sean Falconer, AI Entrepreneur in Residence at Confluent, about his diverse career journey from academia to entrepreneurship and leadership in the tech industry. Sean shares insights into his unique role at Confluent, where he focuses on innovation and strategy in AI, and reflects on his transition from being a hands-on engineer to taki...

In this festive holiday edition of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel welcomes Jason Torres, a developer evangelist at torc.dev , for a candid conversation about the power of community, meaningful connections, and the often-overlooked importance of great documentation in tech. Jason shares his journey from the film industry to tech, where he's found his niche in fostering authentic engagement within...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel chats with Genghis Philip, an engineering manager at Kipsu, who shares his journey from archaeology to tech, his passion for coaching (both in ultimate frisbee and engineering teams), and his thoughtful approach to career growth and team building. Genghis discusses the importance of building high-performing teams by aligning incentives, fostering...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel chats with Alex Standiford, founder of Novatorius, Siren, and creator of PHP Nomad. Alex shares his journey from WordPress developer to agency founder, shedding light on the challenges of balancing client work with product development. He dives deep into PHP Nomad, a groundbreaking framework designed to enable nomadic programming, allowing code to...

In this episode of 99 Dev Problems , Tessa Kriesel chats with Mike Bifulco, CTO and co-founder of Craftwork, a Y Combinator-backed company redefining the home services experience with innovative technology. Mike shares insights into Craftwork's mission to modernize home painting services through thoughtful tech integration and human-centric design. From leveraging Rails, React Native, and Next.js...

In this episode, we sat down with Neal Tovsen, a seasoned fractional CTO who brings over two decades of enterprise and startup experience to the tech industry. After working at companies like GE and Siemens, Neal ventured into entrepreneurship before finding his passion in fractional CTO work, where he helps non-technical founders and coaches technical founders navigating the startup world. Throug...

In this episode, Chris Swift, a senior engineer in FinTech shares insights from his 13-year journey in tech. The conversation explores the evolution of development tools, the shifting landscape of remote developer culture, and practical approaches to solving complex integration challenges. From discussing the importance of foundational programming knowledge to sharing real-world strategies for com...