👋 Hi, I’m Mike
I’m a self-taught software developer living in the Seattle area with my wife and child.
Outside of software development, I’m a musician and writer. One of my top near-term goals is to write and publish more frequently and fearlessly.
I primarily write about career advice for early-career web developers, hoping to share about myself and my career philosophy in an authentic way. My goal for this website is to teach others what I know, refine my thinking, and overcome my crippling perfectionism.
Things I’m working on
Podcasts and interviews I’ve done
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WebJoy
A huge fan of spending as little time as possible typing
Eddie and I talk about the amazing advances in frontend tooling and developer experience in the past decade
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The Scrimba Podcast
How To Be Strategic About Your Learning and Career
Alex and I discuss the start of my career in tech, my time at Google, and my thoughts on working hard as a new engineer
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Outside the Code with Techrally
What is Success as a Software Engineer?
Alex and I have a personal conversation about my long journey to becoming a software developer, my even longer journey to find meaningful work, and what success looks like to me
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Scrimba's Ask an Expert
Self-taught programmer to tech founder and CTO
Leanne and I discuss resume and interview advice for programmers transitioning into tech.
Where I’ve worked
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Motivo
2020 — Present
CTO and Co-founder
CTO and Co-founder
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Airbnb
2018 — 2020
Senior Software Engineer • Engineering Manager
Senior Software Engineer
Engineering Manager
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Wealthfront
2017 — 2018
Software Engineer
Software Engineer
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2016 — 2017
Creative Engineer
Creative Engineer
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2014 — 2016
UX Engineer
UX Engineer
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Yahoo
2013 — 2014
Front-end Software Developer
Front-end Software Developer
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Netprospex
2012 — 2013
Software Engineer
Software Engineer
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Language International
2011 — 2012
Software Engineer Intern • Software Engineer
Software Engineer Intern
Software Engineer