October 24-26, 2023

The legendary (and free) online developer conference returns, bigger and better than ever.

Register for event updates + chances to win epic prizes.
(Including items signed by Sean Astin!)

By submitting, I give GitKraken permission to send me communications about GitKon & GitKraken, and I agree to abide by the GitKon Code of Conduct. Due to shipping restrictions, registrants in some countries might not be eligible for the prizes.

Our Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Dharmesh Shah
Co-Founder & CTO, HubSpot
Linkedin
Justin Cormack
CTO, Docker
Linkedin
Special Guest Speaker

Sean AStin

Award-winning actor, director, and producer. Known for his beloved and iconic characters such as Mikey in The Goonies, Daniel Ruettiger in Rudy, and, of course, Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (and many, many more).

Guest Speakers

Andreas Herrmann
Scalable Builds Lead, Tweag
Audrey Long
Sr. Security Software Engineer, Microsoft
Justin Roberts
Sr. Director of Product, GitKraken
Domagoj Vidovic
Tech Content Creator and Influencer, @tech_wizzdom
Eli Schleifer
Founder & CEO, Trunk.io
Frank Boucher
Cloud Advocate, Microsoft
Harsh Bardhan Mishra
Engineer, LocalStack
Jason Gates
Senior Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
Joyce Lin
Head of Developer Relations, Postman
Michelle Mannering
Developer Advocate, GitHub
Mike Miles
Director of Web Development, MIT Sloan
Nitish Garg
Staff Software Engineer, Rippling
Rafna Bash
CEO & Technical Team Lead, Aktibeto
Rizel Scarlett
Staff Developer Advocate, TBD
Ron Northcutt
Head of Developer Relations, Appsmith
Shawna O’Neal
Co-Founder & Developer, Dodgy Code
Jeff Schinella
Director of Product, GitKraken
Ambily Kavumkal Kamalasanan
Sr. Cloud Solutions Engineer, GitHub
Ben Schippers
Co-Founder and Co-CEO, HappyFunCorp
Chuck Dries
Software Engineer, Adobe
Corey McCarty
Lead Developer, Summit Professional Education
Dennis Pilarinos
Founder and Chief Problem Solver, Stealth Mode – launching soon
Jonathan Silva
Product Marketing Manager, GitKraken
Keith Daulton
Principal Software Engineer, GitKraken
Kevin Bost
Sr. Software Architect, IntelliTect
Théophane Hufschmitt
Software Engineer, Modus Create & Board Member, NixOS Foundation
Sarah Lean
Sr. Cloud Solution Architect, Microsoft
Melese Michael
Product Marketing Manager, GitKraken
Ruth Cheesley
Project Lead, Mautic
Adam Wride
Chief Product Officer, GitKraken
Dave Bor
Director of Content, GitKraken
Kyle Fransham
VP, Research & Development, Superna
Lewis Menelaws
Tech Content Creator
Matt Johnston
CEO, GitKraken

About the Event

In the realm of software development, bugs lurk, deadlines loom, and other perils abound. But let not your hearts be troubled! Embark with us upon a grand and noble quest to conquer the treacherous challenges that plague our craft. With keyboards as our swords and coffee as our elixir, we shall venture to a land of utmost productivity, conjuring the powers of version control and slaying inefficiencies.

Gather ye’ at the hallowed grounds of GitKon 2023 where the whispers of Git wizards and laughter of developers will echo through the halls. For there shall we summon the spirit of collaboration and bestow upon you the tools and knowledge to transform into valiant heroes of software development.

What can you expect?
✨ Hear from leaders, both ancient and young, the secrets to building dynamic technical teams
🧙 Learn from product creators and power users the tools and techniques to unleash your productivity
⚔️ Forge relationships with peers that will inspire and support your software development journey

WIN AWESOME PRIZES

We’re giving away 3 custom prize packs LIVE during GitKon. Register now to be entered!
What can you win? 

  • Samwise Gamgee Funko Pop (Signed by Sean Astin!)
  • DROP + Lord of The Rings Keyboard
  • Lord of The Rings: The Council of Elrond Lego Set
  • Magic The Gathering – The Lord of The Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Starter Kit & Booster Box

  • Customized GitKon Hoodie / T-Shirt
  • Up to $100 in Gift Cards
Register now to enter

Dharmesh Shah

Co-Founder & CTO, HubSpot
Linkedin

Dharmesh Shah is co-founder and CTO of HubSpot. Prior to founding HubSpot in 2006, Dharmesh was founder and CEO of Pyramid Digital Solutions, which was acquired by SunGard Data Systems in 2005.

In addition to co-authoring “Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs,” Dharmesh founded and writes for OnStartups.com, a prominent startup blog and community with more than 700,000 members.

In 2013, Dharmesh published HubSpot’s Culture Code, which has garnered over five million views. Named an Inc. Founders 40 in 2016, he is an active member of the Boston-area entrepreneurial community, an angel investor in over 60 startups, and a frequent speaker on startups, inbound marketing, and company culture.

Dharmesh holds a BS in Computer Science from UAB and an MS in the Management of Technology from MIT.

Justin Cormack

CTO, Docker
Linkedin
I am the CTO at Docker. I am passionate about software development, security, and the open source community that we work in. I am happy to serve on the CNCF Technical Oversight Committee, helping projects and communities grow.

Sean Astin

Actor
Sean is an acclaimed actor and director known for several classic and beloved characters such as Mikey in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, Bob in Stranger Things, and – of course – Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (among many, many others). His short film “Kangaroo Court” earned him an Academy Award® nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. Astin is an avid long-distance runner and triathlete. He completed the IRONMAN World Championship Triathlon in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 2015. Additionally, he has completed 12 Full Marathons, including the 2016 New York City Marathon in honor of my late mother, Patty Duke, for her life’s work as a mental health advocate.

Andreas Herrmann

Scalable Builds Lead, Tweag
Linkedin
I am a physicist turned software engineer. Currently, I lead the Scalable Builds Group at Tweag, which contributes to Bazel, Buck2, and Pants. As Google’s first Bazel Community Expert, I maintain Bazel extensions and provides professional services.

My passion lies in functional programming, as well as hermetic and reproducible builds. I am based in Zurich and actively participate in the local Haskell community.

Audrey Long

Sr. Security Software Engineer, Microsoft
Linkedin
I am a Senior Security Software Engineer at Microsoft, holding a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from John Hopkins University. I play a crucial role in the Commercial Software Engineering team, collaborating with major companies and not-for-profits to tackle their technical challenges.

My specialization lies in secure coding, threat modeling, architectural security evaluation, and implementing security practices at the development level. With a broad perspective that covers everything from ground-level security to cloud-based solutions, I thrive in tackling the intricate puzzle of security and am passionate about encouraging the exchange of ideas and fostering connections.

Justin Roberts

Sr. Director of Product, GitKraken
Linkedin
I’m a Sr. Product Director at GitKraken where I’ve led the design and development of GitKraken Client since its inception. My education in architecture is a constant influence while designing and building technical, user-centered tools for the last decade.

Domagoj Vidovic

Tech Content Creator and Influencer
Instagram Youtube
I am a senior developer turned tech content creator, and creator of @tech_wizzdom. I help people in tech start a side hustle and convert it into a main one.

Eli Schleifer

Founder & CEO, Trunk.io
Linkedin
Prior to starting Trunk, I ran the Autonomy Systems team at Uber’s Advanced Technology Group. I sold his first consumer-focused startup, Directr, to Google in 2014. Earlier in my career, I held engineering leadership roles at Microsoft. I have an AB in Visual Arts and Computer Science from Columbia University.

Frank Boucher

Cloud Advocate, Microsoft
Linkedin Youtube
Passionate about cloud computing, I have been playing into Microsoft Azure for years. Many of my blog posts and videos can be found online in French and English.

Harsh Bardhan Mishra

Engineer, LocalStack
Linkedin
I’m an engineer at LocalStack working at improving the developer experience of engineers developing/testing cloud applications on AWS. I am also an AWS Community Builder in the Serverless category and have previously worked at Red Hat, HackerRank, and Quansight! I am deeply passionate about cloud & serverless development, including DevOps practises, Web engineering, and using technology to mitigate climate change.

Jason Gates

Senior Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
Linkedin
I started out as an engineering physicist, but followed the problems from there to applied math, and then on to software engineering. I consider myself a “DevOps Evangelist,” and I’ve spent the better part of the last six years helping a variety of scientific software teams realize the DevOps paradigm shift. I’ve taught Git courses to hundreds, and specializes in helping people leverage their toolsets and automate everything possible to maximize productivity and joy in their work.

Joyce Lin

Head of Developer Relations, Postman
Linkedin
I’m the Sr. Director of Developer Relations at Postman, an API platform trusted by over 25 million users for accessing countless APIs monthly.

I work with organizations to design better practices for API building and testing, and share those insights with broader communities through technical blog posts and videos.

Michelle Mannering

Developer Advocate, GitHub
Linkedin Twitch
“I’m a versatile figure in the tech and gaming realms, serving as a developer advocate who creates engaging experiences and interacts with the GitHub developer community. With over 250 speaking engagements, I cover diverse topics like AI, the future of teamwork, and technical demonstrations. In the hackathon community, I’m a respected leader, having won, organized, and mentored over 100 hackathons.

I’m also a serial tech entrepreneur, having founded AI and eScooter companies, and I’m deeply involved in Melbourne’s science, tech, eSports, and startup scenes. In my spare time, I’m a streamer, journalist, and constantly working on exciting projects, so you can find me at events or streaming on Twitch!”

Mike Miles

Director of Web Development, MIT Sloan
Linkedin
I’m a highly skilled web engineer with over 18 years of experience in open-source development, proficient in various languages and frameworks. As the Director of Web Development at MIT Sloan, I oversee the development, maintenance, and growth of digital properties, leading a team to deliver high-quality solutions.

My deep technical knowledge drives innovation and enhances MIT Sloan’s digital presence. I also speak at global technical conferences, co-organize the New England Drupal Camp and lead the Boston Drupal Meetup Group.

Nitish Garg

Staff Software Engineer, Rippling
Linkedin
“I’m a Staff Engineer at Rippling with over 5 years of experience specializing in Developer Productivity and Infrastructure Engineering. I have a strong foundation in this field, having previously worked at Bloomberg.

My educational background includes degrees from the University of Florida (UF) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.”

Rafna Bash

CEO & Technical Team Lead, Aktibeto
Linkedin
I am the the Founder of Aktibeto, with a focus on empowering women re-entering or transitioning into tech. My background as a Tech Consultant has enabled me to assist startup founders, small businesses, and organizations better understand their technical requirements.

Rafna’s tech journey, spanning over 13 years, began as a Software Engineer and evolved into leadership roles overseeing global teams. As a Woman Techmaket Ambassador and Director of Women Who Code Boulder/Denver chapter, she is dedicated to mentoring women in tech and helping advance their careers.

Rizel Scarlett

Staff Developer Advocate, TBD
Linkedin
I’m a Staff Developer Advocate at TBD, Block’s newest business unit. With a diverse background spanning GitHub, startups, and non-profit organizations, I have cultivated a deep-rooted passion for utilizing emerging technologies to champion equity within the tech industry. I moonlight as an Advisor at G{Code} House, an organization aimed at teaching women of color and non-binary people of color to code. I believe in leveraging vulnerability, honesty, and kindness as means to educate early-career developers.

Ron Northcutt

Head of Developer Relations, Appsmith
Linkedin
“I’m an experienced developer, open-source advocate, and problem-solving expert with a background in financial, governmental, and enterprise sectors.

I currently serve as the Head of DevRel at Appsmith, focusing on developing developers and building a top-notch team while fostering community growth.”

Shawna O'Neal

Co-Founder & Developer, Dodgy Code
Linkedin
I’m the co-founder of a remote web agency that works with brands across the globe. My team often works alongside other branding agencies to provide development of their big ideas. Our ethos is all about authenticity, transparency, and pursuing positive + creative experiences. Unlike many agencies, we include developer and content authors in that experience pool. Projects are only as good as their maintainability.

Individually, I’m a female member of the development community. I started my own agency with my best mate before turning 30. I’ve got pink hair, tattoos, and have gained the respect of all our clients and the greater development community. I’m a gamer, a geek, and I love design. I’ve been developing my speaker credentials, including talks at GitKon and other developer conferences. My attention to human psychology, real-life solutions, and ability to explain technical concepts in every-man ways is a huge asset.

My developer specialties are backend web development, integrations, technical documentation, and data queries.

Jeff Schinella

Director of Product, GitKraken
Linkedin
I’m a Product Director at GitKraken. Over the past 12 years, I have worked to help bring multiple ideas and initiatives from 0 to 1, leveraging a multi-disciplinary and developer-centric approach in product leadership, design, and user experience.

Ambily Kavumkal Kamalasanan

Sr. Cloud Solutions Engineer, GitHub
Linkedin
I’m a Senior Cloud Solutions Engineer at GitHub, skilled in Cloud and DevOps, and hold certifications as an Azure Architect and DevOps Architect.

My primary focus is driving DevOps adoption and crafting tailored solutions for customers to meet their DevSecOps needs.

Ben Schippers

Co-Founder and Co-CEO, HappyFunCorp
Linkedin
I’m the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of HappyFunCorp, a product design firm specializing in creative software technology and user-friendly web and mobile applications. My work has benefited Fortune 500 clients like Samsung, American Express, and Disney. Additionally, I serve as the Co-Founder and CEO of Tezlab, a popular third-party Tesla application.

I’ve presented at TechCrunch events, was a former TechCrunch contributor, and have been featured on Inc., Forbes, The New York Times, and more.

Chuck Dries

Software Engineer, Adobe
Linkedin
I’m a Software Engineer at Adobe, avid photographer, and game developer in my free time.

Corey McCarty

Lead Developer, Summit Professional Education
Linkedin
I’m a backend developer turned full stack lead, working with Java, JavaScript, and Python. I’m passionate about automating tedious processes and take great pride in having redesigned a tool at my company that once loaded in nearly ten MINUTES and now takes a much more acceptable one second.

Dennis Pilarinos

Founder and Chief Problem Solver, Stealth Mode – launching soon
Linkedin
I am an experienced technologist, entrepreneur and business leader with a passion for solving problems for customers. I’ve spent most of my career on solving hard problems for technical (developer) audiences at places like Microsoft, Amazon, buddybuild, and Apple. I have a long track record of being innovative and successful and my work has been highlighted by multiple patents. I’m driven by the opportunity to solve real world problems with technology, be it through helping develop high performance teams or providing my customers with innovative solutions that enable them to exceed their goals.

Jonathan Silva

Product Marketing Manager, GitKraken
Linkedin
I tell stories as the Product Marketing Manager for the GitKraken team. Since its launch in 2014, I’ve helped users understand the beauty and power of GitKraken Client.

I’m also the voice behind GitKraken’s YouTube channel and I’ve presented at conferences like GitHub Universe, DevWeek New York, and GitKon.

Keith Daulton

Principal Software Engineer, GitKraken
Linkedin
I am a Principal Software Engineer at GitKraken, where I focus on developing GitLens for VS Code and shared component libraries. In my previous role at Chewy, I helped create their design system currently used across e-commerce, marketing content and enterprise applications, as well as their first hybrid web/mobile experience.

With over 20 years of experience at the intersection of design and development, I’m deeply passionate about bridging the gap between design and engineering teams to create seamless and innovative solutions.

Kevin Bost

Sr. Software Architect, IntelliTect
Linkedin Youtube
I’m a senior software architect capable of designing elegant solutions to complex problems utilizing agile methodologies. Honored to be recognized as a Microsoft MVP, I’ve been instrumental in the creation of several containerized cloud products. I’m passionate about teaching others to write quality code and hone skills through unit testing and code reviews, and I regularly host live coding sessions on Twitch and maintain MaterialDesignInXAML, a fully open-source toolkit to assist users in crafting desktop applications that allow Windows applications to leverage Google’s Material Design. When not teaching, I am often designing and creating new gadgets with my 3D printer.

Théophane Hufschmitt

Software Engineer, Modus Create & Board Member, NixOS Foundation
Linkedin
By day, I’m the lead of the Nix group at Tweag/Modus Create, and by night, I’m a NixOS Foundation board member. I’ve been working as a consultant in functional programming for the past few years before turning to build systems, then Nix and the Nix community. I am active both at the technical level (active contributor and maintainer of Nix) and the organizational one through the Foundation. Having suffered from brittle and painful setups in many different places, I am now passionate about improving the reliability and ergonomics of developer environments wherever I can.

Sarah Lean

Sr. Cloud Solution Architect, Microsoft
Linkedin
I’m a seasoned IT professional with an 18-year journey in the tech world. Currently, I call Microsoft my professional home, where I thrive as a Microsoft Certified Trainer and contribute passionately to the tech community.

Hailing from the picturesque landscapes of Scotland, my enthusiasm for STEM education shines through my roles as a STEM ambassador and as the driving force behind the Glasgow Azure User Group. My dedication even led me to the grand stage at Microsoft Ignite, where I shared my expertise and insights with an eager audience.

Melese Michael

Product Marketing Manager, GitKraken
Linkedin
I’m a Product Marketer at GitLens, long time gamer, and app developer in my free time.

Ruth Cheesley

Project Lead, Mautic
Linkedin
I’m an Open Source advocate with over 18 years of experience using and contributing to many different projects.

Having served on the Community Leadership Team of the Joomla! project and built a full-service digital agency, I now work as Project Lead for Mautic, supporting the community who build and maintain the world’s first Open Source Marketing Automation platform.

I’m a lover of cats, a keen runner and flautist (but not at the same time!) and I’m based in the East of England.

Adam Wride

Chief Product Officer, GitKraken
Linkedin
As Chief Product Officer at GitKraken, I lead strategy and innovation efforts designed to help developers collaborate and thrive. I’m the former CEO of BigBrassBand. We created the most popular paid Git app for Jira: Git Integration for Jira (also one of the original apps on the Atlassian Marketplace back in 2012). I joined the GitKraken team as part of the BigBrassBand acquisition in 2021.

I’m a big fan of remote work and have mainly worked out of basement home offices since 2007, although currently I’m working from my attic :)

Dave Bor

Director of Content, GitKraken
Linkedin
I have the privilege of leading content and audience engagement for GitKraken. This includes managing events like this year’s GitKon, where, if I’m really lucky, I get a chance to interview personal acting heroes like Sean Astin!

Kyle Fransham

VP, Research & Development, Superna
Linkedin
I bring over 15 years of experience in developing mission-critical and high-performance applications for public and private sector organizations. A long-time veteran of big data and cloud computing, I leverage my experience from Silicon Valley-based research institutes as well as the Canadian federal government’s research computing department to lead Superna’s charge on cutting-edge software development.

As VP R&D at Superna, I lead the teams responsible for the development, test, and delivery of Superna’s software products.

Lewis Menelaws

Tech Content Creator, @codingwithlewis
Instagram Youtube
I am a content creator with an audience over 900k developers worldwide. With a goal to inspire developers, I create open source software ideas, funny content, and informative videos. I have also worked with numerous small startups and large enterprises, such as AWS.

Matt Johnston

CEO, GitKraken
Linkedin
Before joining GitKraken as CEO in 2021, I was Co-founder & CEO of marketing automation startup, Mautic, which was acquired by Acquia in 2020. Prior to that, I held the role of Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Applause, which was acquired by Vista Equity in 2017.

I’m passionate about building – teams, cultures, brands, products & companies. After spending 20 years as an entrepreneur in New York City and Boston, I now reside in Scottsdale, AZ, where GitKraken is headquartered.

Beyang Liu

CTO & Co-Founder
Sourcegraph
@beyang

Session

A Dev's Thoughts on Developer Productivity

Why don’t we hear more developer voices in the conversations about “developer productivity”? Most self-styled experts on developer productivity seem more interested in selling something rather than painting an accurate picture of how devs really work. 

In this session, Beyang Liu, CTO and co-founder of Sourcegraph, will talk about why we should instead start from direct developer experience using our own mental models of how developers work, and why we should be drawing pictures and diagrams that approximate the world in which we live. 

Andrew Pankevicius

Senior Product Manager, Jira DevOps
Atlassian
Andrew Pankevicius

Session

DevOps at Scale: What it Really Looks Like to Scale Your Product Org from 1 to 100 People

As organizations scale, teams quickly learn that it’s not just about hiring. It’s also about how your team’s tools and internal development practices pivot, scale and grow to meet the increasing needs of your organization. 

In this session, Andrew Pankevicius, senior product manager for Jira DevOps at Atlassian, will guide attendees through the critical milestones of growth, from DevSecOps as a foundational concept on day one, to cross-functional release orchestration and managing your DevOps toolchain while scaling your development team.  

Brendan O’Leary

Staff Developer Evangelist
GitLab
@olearycrew

Session

The Era of Platforms

For years, operations teams have tried to build elastic compute platforms for developers to deploy to, while at the same time, developers were stitching together tools to ensure code was integrated, built, tested, and secure. In response, we’ve seen the DevOps industry move towards the era of DevOps platforms, consolidating and expanding capabilities that allow developers to spend more time on code and less on tools.

In this session, Brendan O’Leary, staff developer evangelist at GitLab, will discuss the Era of the Platform, including how elite software delivery and operations performers are leveraging platforms like Kubernetes and the DevOps platform to adapt and ship code faster. To paraphrase Halt and Catch Fire: “Platforms aren’t the thing. They are the thing that gets you to the thing.”

Ruth Vela

Director of Global Technology Experience
Nextiva
@RuthVelah

Session

TechEX: The Human Side of Building and Enabling Remote Engineering Teams

As the director of global technology experience at Nextiva, Ruth Vela is responsible for their Technology Experience program, which ensures a consistently positive experience for the company’s global team of technologists.

In this session, Ruth will suggest programs and frameworks that engineering leaders can build to enable a successful and happy global remote team, and why, as an engineer, it matters to choose a company that understands and values your remote experience.

Brigit Murtaugh

Product Manager, VS Code Team
Microsoft
@BrigitMurtaugh

Session

Dev Containers: A Consistent Environment Anywhere You Work

Containers have historically been used to standardize apps when they’re deployed, but there’s opportunity to support additional scenarios, like continuous integration, test automation, and full-featured coding environments.

In this session, Brigit Murtaugh, product manager on the Visual Studio Code team at Microsoft focusing on remote development, will go over the Development Containers Specification, which empowers anyone using any tool to configure a consistent dev environment. Attendees can expect to leave with the tools they need to get started with dev containers and specifications.

Dries Buytaert

Founder of Drupal
Co-Founder/CTO of Acquia
@Dries

Session

From the dorm room to The White House - How Drupal grew and became the standard for open source web experiences

Dries Buytaert will headline GitKon 2022 as our keynote speaker. As the founder of both Drupal and Acquia, Dries has been working with open source for over 20 years. A true thought leader, Dries has published over 1,500 blog articles over the past several years and enjoys sharing his expertise at events and conferences around the world. 

At this session, attendees can expect to learn how Dries was able to scale Drupal and Acquia by embracing open source, and why popular features like Drupal themes and a focus on security helped propel them to success.