The hardest problems in technology leadership
don't have playbooks.
I work with technology leaders and organizations dealing with difficult leadership and organizational problems.
Engineering isn't working and you can't quite explain why. Your CEO wants an AI strategy yesterday. You're avoiding a difficult people decision. The role that used to fit you doesn't anymore. Or something simply feels wrong and you're too close to see it clearly.
I've spent 20+ years building and leading technology organizations. Sometimes it helps to have someone who's seen a lot of this before in your corner.
What's keeping you awake at night?
Let's talk →
I've worked with technology leaders from companies like
Three ways to work together
With you — A coach and advisor for the decisions you can't delegate.
I work one-to-one with CTOs, VPs, founders and other senior technology leaders dealing with difficult decisions, transitions, people problems and organizational complexity.
Sometimes that's coaching. Sometimes it's advice from someone who has sat in the seat. Usually it's some combination of both.
Let's talk about what's going on →With your leaders — Build a stronger leadership layer.
I work across the whole leadership layer: new managers who still need the fundamentals, directors making harder calls on people and structure, senior leaders in the middle of ambiguous, high-stakes transitions.
Better managers solve more locally. Fewer escalations reach you. More of your time goes to the work only you can do.
Let's talk about your team →Inside the organization — Diagnosis, structure, or interim leadership — whatever the organization needs.
I work directly with founders and technology leaders when the organization itself needs attention: unclear accountability, leadership gaps, structural problems, a founder bottleneck, delivery that has stopped working, or a transition the existing team can't navigate alone.
That can mean diagnosing the situation and working alongside the existing leadership team. Or, when necessary, stepping in temporarily as CTO or VP Engineering.
The goal is the same: understand what's actually happening, strengthen the system and the people inside it, and make myself unnecessary.
Let's talk about your situation →In their words
His focus is first and foremost on me and my specific situation, and he offers suggestions only where they genuinely apply.
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I first started working with Paulo when I took on an exciting and complex new project at Spotify, as engineering director for a greenfield, yet-to-be-proven product area. Having Paulo by my side during that time was incredibly valuable. From strategic insights and org debugging to navigating complex work relationships, determining personal goals and managing my time and energy more effectively, whatever it was, he helped me grow and significantly sharpen my thinking.
Paulo has tremendous knowledge, drawn from both theory and experience, and always has a relevant tool, resource or framework at hand for whatever I’ve thrown at him. Yet he doesn’t lead with it. His focus is first and foremost on me and my specific situation, and he offers suggestions only where they genuinely apply. What stood out most was his pragmatism grounded in strong values, and his systems thinking that always stays human-first. Beyond being deeply enriching, working with him has been an absolute pleasure.
I chose management, and Paulo guided me through the transition, helping me become the leader I actually wanted to be, not just one shaped by management books.
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I worked with Paulo during my time at Hotjar, and his coaching was invaluable to my growth as a product leader. Like many people in tech, I’d hit a familiar fork in the road: remain an individual contributor, or move into management. Rather than pushing me toward one path, Paulo first helped me get clear on my “why” — and with that clarity, I could move forward with real confidence.
I chose management, and Paulo guided me through the transition, helping me become the leader I actually wanted to be, not just one shaped by management books.
Thanks to his guidance, I grew into an effective leader and was later promoted to Director of Product. I credit Paulo with a lot of that growth.
Writing
I also write The Hagakure: essays about technology, leadership, organizations, and making sense of an increasingly strange industry.
Read The Hagakure →