As you went from a Junior Engineer to a CTO, you probably had a few mentors you admired. You took inspiration from their achievements and the insights they shared.
But now that you’re a renowned leader, what tech influencers can you follow to keep yourself informed and continue developing?
Drawing from our experience building dedicated development teams for CTOs in multiple industries and our conversations with them, here’s a list of nine creators you should follow.
1. Gergely Orosz
Orosz has worked as a Software Engineer and Engineering Manager at companies like Uber, Skype, and JP Morgan. Now, he dedicates full-time to writing The Pragmatic Engineer, the #1 tech newsletter in Substack.
Besides that, he collaborates as an advisor in multiple tech organisations and writes books on software engineering.
You should consider following him to get insider insights on Big Tech and startups, actionable advice to become a more efficient leader, and up-to-date trends in the tech market.
His content is bias-free and he doesn’t accept sponsorships or affiliations with any companies he covers in his newsletter.
Where to follow him?
You can follow Gergely Orosz on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at Gergely Orosz.
- On X (Twitter), at @GergelyOrosz.
- On his Substack newsletter, The Pragmatic Engineer.
- On his blog, The Pragmatic Engineer’s blog.
2. David Heinemeier Hansson
Any list of tech influencers for CTOs has David Heinemeir Hansson, also known as DHH, as a must-follow business leader.
And it’s no surprise: he created Ruby on Rails.
A few years before launching the popular open-source web framework, DHH cofounded 37signals with Jason Fried, the company responsible for building products like Basecamp, HEY, and Campfire.
Alongside Fried, he collaborated in writing Rework, one of the best books for CTOs.
DHH shares on his social media channels, blog, and podcast expert tips on business management and personal observations on the tech industry. You’ll love his content if you’re a CTO working on a young startup or planning to start a software-based company.
Where to follow him?
You can follow David Heinemeier Hansson on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at David Heinemeier Hansson.
- On X (Twitter), at @dhh.
- On his podcast, The REWORK podcast.
- On his blog/newsletter, built with HEY World.
3. Irina Stanescu
Stanescu is a former Engineering Manager with over 14 years of experience in tech working at Google and Uber, among other companies. She’s best known for writing The Caring Techie Newsletter and running engineering leadership courses.
As a female tech leader and coach, Stanescu shares with her audience self-development and career growth strategies for managers and also explores the challenges women face in a man-first industry.
She cares deeply about what some CTOs tend to ignore: the importance of people’s relationships and soft skills when leading an engineering team.
Where to follow her?
You can follow Irina Stanescu on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at Irina Stanescu.
- On X (Twitter), at @thecaringtechie.
- On her Substack newsletter, The Caring Techie Newsletter.
- On her website, The Caring Techie.
4. Jordan Cutler
Cutler is a Senior Software Engineer at Pinterest and the author of the High Growth Engineer, a weekly newsletter on Substack. He’s very active on LinkedIn, where he posts about how to be a better engineer and become the leader you’ve always dreamed of.
As a CTO, you’ll find his content helpful because he gives clear advice to engineers at all levels on improving connections with colleagues and managers. You may get inspired by how he expresses simple and actionable ideas in every content piece he shares.
Paid subscribers to his newsletter get, among other perks, Cutler’s personal templates and examples for technical design docs, estimation, manager 1:1s, and introspective 1:1.
Where to follow him?
You can follow Jordan Cutler on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at Jordan Cutler.
- On his Substack newsletter, High Growth Engineer.
5. Alex Xu
Former Software Engineer at Oracle, Apple and Twitter, Xu is the author and Co-founder of ByteByteGo, initially a newsletter and now an educational platform.
Apart from ByteByteGo, Xu is famous for writing System Design Interview – An Insider’s Guide, an Amazon bestseller.
On social media, Xu shares content related to system design and book-writing tips. In his newsletter, he offers insights and updates on building software, engineering best practices, and large-scale system design trends.
Follow him if you enjoy highly technical content.
Where to follow him?
You can follow Alex Xu on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at Alex Xu.
- On X (Twitter), at @alexxubyte.
- On his Substack newsletter, ByteByteGo Newsletter.
- On YouTube, at @ByteByteGo.
- On his website, ByteByteGo.
6. Gregor Ojstersek
Ojstersek is a CTO at a FinTech startup who writes Engineer Leadership, one of the most followed and respected newsletters by tech leaders.
Per his LinkedIn bio, he describes himself as an “engineering leader with a passion for solving complicated problems with innovative concepts.” In every post he shares, he distils the lessons learned in his career building and managing tech teams into practical insights and strategies.
Ojstersek is a must-follow tech influencer for CTOs struggling to lead their team confidently or for those who want to learn new ways of communicating with engineers.
Where to follow him?
You can follow Gregor Ojstersek on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at Gregor Ojstersek.
- On X (Twitter), at @gregorojstersek.
- On his Substack newsletter, Engineering Leadership.
7. Nikki Siapno
Siapno is an Engineering Manager at Canva and the Founder of the newsletter Level Up Coding.
Her career is one of a kind: she went from a Junior Developer to an Engineering Manager in just 4.5 years!
What stands out most about her content is her ability to simplify complex topics into easy-to-understand posts. While her aim is to help anyone start or grow a career in tech, as a CTO, you can learn from how well she teaches all things engineering with simple visuals.
Where to follow her?
You can follow Nikki Siapno on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at Nikki Siapno.
- On X (Twitter), at @NikkiSiapno.
- On her behiiv newsletter, Level Up Coding.
8. Milan Jovanović
Jovanović is a Senior Software Engineer specialising in the .NET ecosystem. He’s the author of The .NET Weekly, a newsletter where he shares tips to help engineers improve their .NET and software architecture skills.
If you work in an organisation where .NET is a core technology, you should consider following Jovanović’s content. He is arguably the best in his field and shares educational resources on this particular framework daily on LinkedIn and weekly in his newsletter.
Most of his content is technical, but occasionally he shares books and tool recommendations for engineers.
Where to follow him?
You can follow Milan Jovanović on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at Milan Jovanović.
- On X (Twitter), at @mjovanovictech.
- On YouTube, at @MilanJovanovicTech.
- On his newsletter, The .NET Weekly.
9. Luca Rossi
Rossi is a former CTO and Head of Engineering at several companies and the Founder of Refactoring, a weekly newsletter on engineering leadership.
In his publication, he shares ideas, in-depth essays, and interviews with top tech leaders, focusing on software engineering and management. Follow it to stay updated on industry best practices and gain insights from other successful CTOs and tech influencers.
At the time this article was published, Rossi closed his first acquisition. His friend Nicola Ballotta, author of The Hybrid Hacker newsletter, is joining his team at Refactoring to create a single, more comprehensive engineering publication.
Where to follow him?
You can follow Luca Rossi on the following channels/platforms:
- On LinkedIn, at Luca Rossi.
- On X (Twitter), at @lucaronin.
- On YouTube, at @refactoringclub.
- On his Substack newsletter, Refactoring.
Keep yourself informed with the best tech influencers for CTOs
The content creators listed in this article are our top picks of influencers every CTO must follow to stay on the pulse of the industry and become an excellent leader.
If you’re looking for more ways of keeping yourself informed and learning, consider subscribing to the best newsletters for CTOs and check out the top podcasts every CTO should listen to.
Meanwhile, if you’re worried about not finding the right talent for your software development team, we’re here to help. At The Scalers, we specialise in building dedicated engineering teams with world-class talent.
To learn how we search, hire, and onboard the top 1% of Indian tech talent, fill out this form, and one of our senior executives will contact you to answer any questions you may have!
