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 Twitter
• André Valentin on LinkedIn 
• Laravel Twitter
• Laravel Website
• Tighten Website
• Podcast Suggestions
• Radical Candor Book
• Pragmatic Engineer Newsletter
• Laravel Careers

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Editing and transcription sponsored by Tighten.