In this episode of the Laravel Podcast, Matt Stauffer sits down with André Valentin, Director of Engineering at Laravel, to explore his unique journey from customer support to engineering leadership. André opens up about the challenges he’s faced, the lessons learned along the way, and how building strong relationships within a team has shaped his leadership style.They dive into Laravel’s balance between open source and commercial work, the importance of effective onboarding, and how team dynamics impact success. André also shares his approach to communication, project involvement, and the tools and systems that support remote, asynchronous work. With a focus on servant leadership, empathy, and hiring well, this episode is full of insights for engineering leaders and anyone navigating team growth in the world of tech.Matt Stauffer on TwitterAndré Valentin on LinkedIn Laravel TwitterLaravel WebsiteTighten WebsitePodcast SuggestionsRadical Candor BookPragmatic Engineer NewsletterLaravel Careers-----Editing and transcription sponsored by Tighten.
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44:11
Marketing an Open Source Ecosystem with Hank Taylor
In this episode of the Laravel Podcast, Matt Stauffer sits down with Hank Taylor, Laravel’s head of marketing, to unpack what it really looks like to market the ecosystem surrounding a major open-source framework. Hank shares his path into the world of Laravel, his deep roots in marketing (especially in open-source) and how he’s helping shape the future of community engagement.They dive into the revitalization of in-person meetups, Laravel’s evolving marketing strategy, and the cultural shift toward embracing PHP. The conversation also explores the challenges and opportunities of moving from a one-person marketing approach to a more structured team effort, with an emphasis on bridging the gap between technical and non-technical team members.Matt Stauffer on TwitterHank Taylor on TwitterHank Taylor on LinkedInLaravel TwitterLaravel WebsiteTighten WebsitePodcast SuggestionsLaravel meetups-----Editing and transcription sponsored by Tighten.
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43:31
Co-Creation and Live Streaming Laravel with Nuno Maduro
In this episode, Matt Stauffer chats with Nuno Maduro, a prominent Software Engineer at Laravel, about his journey from a traditional developer role to becoming a key voice in the Laravel ecosystem. Nuno shares reflections from his early days, how simplicity has become a cornerstone of his coding philosophy, and what he's learned through co-creating in the open source world. They dive into the evolution of Laravel projects, the balance between building and maintaining software, and the tradeoffs between full stack development and specialized teams. Nuno also discusses the challenges of balancing streaming with a full-time role, his content creation journey, and his latest project, Pokio, an asynchronous library for PHP. Plus, he shares insights into his work on Laravel Cloud and how his role continues to evolve alongside the Laravel and Inertia ecosystems.Matt Stauffer on TwitterNuno on YouTube Nuno on TikTokNuno on Twitter Nuno on TwitchNuno on LinkedInNuno on BlueSkyNuno on InstagramLaracon EU Talk by Konstantin KudryashovLaravel Podcast Season 3 Nuno (No video available)Laravel TwitterLaravel WebsiteTighten WebsiteLaravel CloudPodcast Suggestions-----Editing and transcription sponsored by Tighten.
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41:52
The Making of Laravel Cloud: Behind the Scenes with Joe Dixon
In this episode of the Laravel Podcast, host Matt Stauffer chats with Joe Dixon, Engineering Team Lead at Laravel. Joe shares his journey to Laravel, his experiences working on Vapor and Reverb, and the transition to Laravel Cloud. They explore his shift from writing code to managing teams, the unexpected challenges behind the Cloud build, and the complexity of billing, bandwidth monitoring, and system communication. Joe also dives into the importance of documentation, safety nets for customer traffic spikes, and the database strategies powering Laravel Cloud. The episode wraps with a Laracon highlight: Joe’s live drone demo, an unforgettable display of innovation in action. Matt Stauffer on TwitterJoe Dixon on TwitterJoe Dixon Laracon Reverb TalkLaravel TwitterLaravel WebsiteTighten WebsiteLaravel ReverbLaravel CloudLaravel NightwatchLaravel ForgePodcast Suggestions-----Editing and transcription sponsored by Tighten.
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49:47
Cloud Launch Reflections, Nightwatch, and the Future of Forge
In this episode of the Laravel Podcast, host Matt Stauffer welcomes back the one and only Taylor Otwell to dive into the latest developments in the Laravel ecosystem. They unpack the launch of Laravel Cloud, share early user feedback, and discuss Taylor’s focus on educating users about pricing and usage. The conversation explores how Cloud fits into the broader Laravel stack and what’s on the horizon for Forge. Taylor also teases the upcoming launch of Nightwatch, a powerful monitoring tool built for integrated analytics and deeper performance insights. They touch on the value of performance metrics in understanding customer needs and frustrations, and in delivering greater value. They wrap up with a chat about Laracon and the irreplaceable energy of in-person events, celebrating the connections, collaboration, and community they bring to life.Taylor Otwell's TwitterMatt Stauffer’s TwitterLaravel TwitterLaravel WebsiteTighten WebsitePodcast SuggestionsLaravel CloudLaravel NightwatchLaravel Forge-----Editing and transcription sponsored by Tighten.
Ireland