Podcast #22- Jonathan Gottfried: empowering hackers, launching impactful hackathons
This is my episode with Jonathan Gottfried, co-founder at Major League Hacking (MLH)
Today's episode is with Jonathan Gottfried, co-founder of Major League Hacking (MLH). We have discussed several topics from organizing hackathons to fostering diverse events and building the next generation
00:00 Intro
00:41 Jon's intro
00:51 Rewarding aspect of building and growing MLH over the years
02:19 MLH's role of documenting stories of student hackers
05:34 MLH's impact on participants career
08:58 MLH's contribution to foster a sense of inclusivity and diversity
12:32 Organizing events of people from different skill levels
14:50 First time hackathon experience
16:26 Challenges that aspiring software developers face when transitioning to a technical founder
19:01 Developers preferring to create B2B services than B2C
21:55 MLH collaborating with Fortune 500, FANG, Big Four companies and the impact it has on people's careers
23:58 Key attributes essential for individuals to become successful technical founders
26:11 Finding a good co-founder 27:28 MLH shifting from LLC to C-corp then B-corp
30:02 Transitioning to B-corp inspiration for other companies who might want to consider
32:06 Translating hackathon collaboration skills to the software industry
34:49 MLH initiatives reaching global reach, how MLH addresses cultural and societal nuance
37: 38 MLH activities affects on becoming a developer evangelist
40:21 Difference between evangelist and developer relations
41:05 MLH mentorship from alumni/experienced hackers
43:18 MLH challenges and obstacles when starting and running it for the past 10 years
45:41 What sparked Jon's interest into the world of hacking and technology
52:08 What developer evangelism means to Jon
53:53 Jon's experience as a developer evangelist at Twilio
55:24 The State of Developer Education podcast
57:12 Consideration of the idea of pursuing something new in the future
59:30 Going outside the comfort zone to starting something new like a startup
01:02:31 Mental health question
01:07:03 Outro
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