#22- Jonathan Gottfried: empowering hackers, launching impactful hackathons

The Reconfigured Podcast

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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