I've known Jonathan for years, since I was a teenager. We first met when he was giving guitar lessons in my hometown, and he was my teacher. He had the same go-getting, need-to-know-everything drive concerning music that I did. It wasn't until years later after we had both graduated college that we reconnected, and learned that we had both become full-time developers. I've sought counsel from Jonathan, collaborated on ideas with him, and referred him to others due to his incredible work ethic, personality, and skill. I recommend Jonathan with the highest possible regard.

Although Jonathan contains a wide variety of skillsets to create solutions, and diverse topical and technical knowledge to provide counsel, his greatest strength is his ability to connect with others through active listening and thoughtful question-asking. I can say from personal experience that he has been instrumental in helping me shape my own problem-solving process through intentional challenges to my approach and assumptions. Plainly stated, Jonathan is the type of person who wants to serve and make those around him better at their craft — and his life reflects that in every aspect.

I started listening to your podcast, and it has been life changing. If you only knew how valuable the information is to a new aspiring developer like me.

I feel that I gain perspective on things I previously struggled with, among many other enriching improvements from listening to Developer Tea.

You’re doing us all a noble service with your podcast and I thank you for it.

Jonathan is an inordinately skilled developer and technical architect merged with a consummate client service professional. He has an uncanny ability to strike several balances at once. He patiently serves up all the technical detail you want at the level of detail you can manage, yet shields you from complexity when you want the bottom line; and never patronizes in any of it. He gives you a sense that you can trust his decisions implicitly, yet he’s generously and eagerly collaborative and receptive to any ideas from others. He prioritizes user experience and business value over maximalism. And along the way, he’s funny, well-read, curious, and confidence-boosting.

- Scott Kauffmann

Jonathan is a very thoughtful developer and interaction designer whose attention to detail is evident in everything I’ve seen him produce. On top of that, he’s kind, patient, and willing to help others learn and do well. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Jonathan to anyone and, given the opportunity, I’d be happy to work with him again myself.

Jonathan approaches every situation with the mindset of a leader. He’s not striving to get better for the sake of improvement, but to grow and help others grow. Whether it’s within his own life, family, or career, Jonathan thinks in multiple lanes, always making sure to push others alongside or slightly ahead, gaining momentum as he does. As a colleague I’m further along as a person and a professional because I had the opportunity to work alongside him.

Jonathan is a talented software engineer with a vast depth of technical knowledge. Jonathan is passionate about coaching and developing software engineers. During our time working together, his contribution to my growth and development was substantial. Jonathan is thoughtful, curious, and a valuable asset to any company or venture.

As a leader, I am most impressed by Jonathan's constant pursuit of learning and desire to help others through mentorship. While he has always excelled at his work, his goal has never been merely completing a task; it is the continued personal development for both his self and the people he works with. Jonathan lacks the ability to partially complete a task. He insists on thoroughly understanding and solving each problem holistically.

It was a great pleasure to have had the opportunity to work under the management of Jonathan. He’s an extremely thoughtful, inventive leader, able to empathize with the complexities of development tasks. Jonathan has a keen way of assessing multiple solutions to a given problem and discerningly selecting the best candidate. Aside from the specifics of management or software development, and probably more importantly, he’s just a kind enjoyable person to be around and work with.

I've been a software developer for a long time (about 18 years at this point), and I recognize how valuable your DCR podcasts are. I get a lot of value from them even with my experience, but I really wish I could send them back in time to my past self. My stepson is just starting to go to a community college to study computing, and I'm going to try to convince him to listen to all those DCR episodes. They're worth their weight in gold (not such a good analogy considering they're weightless bits :)).

Working with Jonathan is stellar - full stop. It's rare to encounter an engineer who deals with people as easily as code, and it’s that combination that makes him so valuable on a team. Truthfully - I wish I was still working with him.

The most important thing I get out of your podcast is a reminder. A reminder that I should be constantly thinking about the other people around me, both developers and managers. [...] I can always do better, and make those better around me.

I would like to thank you very much for all the efforts you put in to Developer Tea. I have been listening to Developer Tea for over a year and half now, and I have learned so much. I have had a few transitions in my career (Mechanical engineer > Beginner programmer > Developer at Oracle) and Developer Tea has added value all the way through.