10 years of LeadDev
LeadDev was launched in June 2015, it’s been an amazing journey. Join us to explore the key moments over the past decade that have defined the LeadDev engineering leadership community.
2001
In 2001, the Agile Manifesto was published, marking a radical shift in how software was built. It championed flexibility over rigid processes, people over policy, and working software over endless documentation. The tech world listened and changed course.
2006
2008
Google’s management experiments in 2002 and 2008 proved that managers are essential. This led to Project Oxygen, identifying key leadership skills. The findings shaped training programs, improving management across all levels.
2015
In 2015, something special happened in London. The very first LeadDev conference opened its doors, hosted by CTO Meri Williams. It quickly became a home for thoughtful engineering leaders and showcased brilliant talks including Nick Means’ ‘How to crash an airplane’ and Camille Fournier’s ‘Cloning yourself isn’t an option’. By 2016 we started programming via CFPs and doubled the conference length to two days, double the content, double the fun!
2017
Launching in New York with standout sessions like ‘Lending Privilege’ by Anjuan Simmons and ‘Congrats! You’re the Tech Lead – Now What?’ by Eryn O’Neil. The momentum was building.
2017
The Manager’s Path is a guidebook for every engineer stepping into leadership. With practical advice and deep empathy, it became the blueprint for countless managers navigating their journey from tech lead to CTO.
2018
We extended our reach to Austin, Texas. Our stand out talks from Austin are ‘Who destroyed Three Mile Island?‘ by Nick Means as well as ‘Building Engineering Teams Under Pressure‘ by Julia Grace.
2019
Our first conference in Berlin featured standout talks by Pat Kua, Beth Aitman, and Kevin Goldsmith that sparked lasting impact.
2020
In April 2020, 3 weeks after lock-down, we put on our first virtual event. The event addressed timely topics such as remote work, change management, and adapting to new environments, attracting 12,000 registrants.
2020
As the pandemic paused in-person events, in April 2020 we responded by launching LeadDev.com, an editorial site to keep our audience supplied with high value original content. We debuted with Silvia Botros’ ‘The Reality of Being a Principal Engineer,’ a piece that still resonates today.
2020
Next came new formats. We launched Bookmarked, a monthly book club for engineering leaders. In our first session, Suzan sat down with Karen Catlin to discuss Better Allies; a conversation that set the tone for inclusion and intentional leadership.
2020
A virtual gathering born out of necessity and built with passion. Talks like ‘Eliminating hero culture’ and ‘Designing effective OKRs’ sparked important discussions.
2020
Meanwhile, Meri Williams and Pat Kua, long-time champions of the community, began hosting virtual workshops that helped engineers everywhere level up their leadership game. Their sessions became a rite of passage for aspiring tech leaders.
2020
‘Making the modern CTO’, featuring previous Twitter CTO, Parag Agrawal. The webinar brought top technology leaders together to unpack one of tech’s most elusive roles. The response was overwhelming.
2020
A 6 week online group learning experience guided by Anjuan Simmons. It ran for 2 years and educated thousands of leaders. Standout past talks by Christine Spang and Nick Means, on scaling success and collaboration respectively, continue to inspire engineering teams.
2022
We started with New York and then London. As part of our return we launched our first in person event for Senior ICs – StaffPlus and an event for Director+ – LeadingEng. Talks from Tanya Reilly, Yonatan Zunger and Sabrina Leandro sparked real conversations about influence and growth. Talks on leadership by Will Larson and self-management by Cate Huston spoke to those leading at the top.
2022
Tech companies were tripping over each other to hire engineering talent post pandemic. Then in 2022 VC money dried up, the hiring spree reversed overnight, and the tech layoffs happened – and David Yee spoke about it and reminded us that even in times of crisis, leadership’s purpose remains the same: keep engineers engaged, adaptive, and ready for change.
2022
In November 2022, the tech world saw another seismic shift: ChatGPT launched. The rise of generative AI sparked new debates, tools, and transformations across the industry.
2023
We launched LeadDev Research Reports: Data-driven insights into salaries, remote work, and team performance, helping leaders make better-informed decisions.
2023
McKinsey’s take on developer productivity stirred fierce debate within the engineering community.
2024
Industry icons like Camille Fournier and Anil Dash shared personal stories and leadership lessons. It was real, raw, and refreshingly honest.
2024
LeadDev Meet-ups are happening in London, New York, Athens, and beyond. These intimate evenings offer engineers the chance to connect face-to-face, share ideas, and rediscover the joy of community.
2025
This June, we take it to the next level with LDX3 London: A festival of engineering leadership. More talks, more stages, more connection. A place where visionaries like Camille Fornier, Lara Hogan, Gergely Orosz, Charity Majors, and Addy Osmani will inspire the next chapter of our story.