Fireside with Voxgig
Episode 108 Zachariah Peterson, conference speakers, electronics designer, strategic advisor
The first thing to know about Zach Peterson is that he’s a hardware guy. Richard is not. Can this divide be bridged by a friendly Fireside chat? Well as turns out, bridging the divide between these two industries is pretty essential for the tech world at large. It may seem obvious, but you can’t really have one without the other - until they learn how to install Twitter in our brains that is, and thankfully that seems to be a long way off yet. So what’s the solution? DevRel, of course. This is something that Zach highlights so well for us in this episode. Meetups, conferences and social media have changed the game for developers in all fields, creating opportunities and connections that wouldn't have resulted otherwise. Zach speaks about his start in the electronics industry, and the work he saw between the people creating software and the people creating the physical devices they exist in. From there, he moved into consultancy, where his work now focuses on making sure that software and hardware developers are working with materials and code of high quality and compatibility. He speaks about the pipeline from an idea to a manufactured product. According to Zach, when it comes to vendors, it’s in their interest to work with developers who want to innovate - as they have the chance to integrate their products into pieces of hardware that may prove to be exactly what the market is looking for. Lastly, he talks about content - Twitch, Youtube and even Webinars. Whichever avenue you choose to prioritise is perhaps not so important as consistency. Building a following that likes what you do, and being reliable in uploading the kinds of things they want to see from you matters more than the specific medium you deliver it through. It’s all about connecting in this episode, whether that be with developers, customers, or your wider audience. Make sure to tune in! Reach out to Zachariah Peterson https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachariah-peterson/