26 June 2025

My next canonical waypoint

Five months ago, I was closing an 18-year chapter at Google. But I wasn’t done with serving the developer ecosystem. The natural question, for others and for myself, was where that path would lead. Today, I can share the next step on this journey: I've joined Canonical as an Engineering Director, leading the Community team.

This move feels like a deliberate step towards values I've long held. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has deep roots in the open source ethos – it’s worth remembering that open source is included in about 90% of all software. For those who may be a little less tech-savvy, Ubuntu is among the most widely used Linux operating systems (or, more accurately, “distributions”). It’s a free, secure, reliable, and open platform – what’s not to like! Back in 2008, I installed Ubuntu on my 84-year-old grandfather’s very first computer – and I was surprised that Canonical would ship installation CDs anywhere in the world, completely free of charge.

Taking this role allowed me to align my daily work more closely with the principles of free software and community collaboration that I care about. After spending 100 days at Canonical, I’m impressed by the kindness and the intellectual prowess of everyone I’ve interacted with. It was already apparent during the lengthy interview process – but it held true ever since. The founder-CEO, Mark Shuttleworth, who isn’t one to seek the limelight, has succeeded in attracting remarkable people.

It's refreshing to be at a company 100 times smaller than Google, where we move faster and I can finally launch all the initiatives I had previously wanted to set up but, for various reasons, wasn’t always able to. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help shape, together with my team, how Canonical engages with and supports its vast global community, including the code contributors to Ubuntu and to Canonical’s other open source projects.

Of course, it’s not without its challenges. There’s a lot to build and structure, much more than I thought I would have to do. Many local communities have died down over time: we’re here to reinvigorate and strengthen the ecosystem. I'm also not the top technical expert on everything Canonical does, so impostor syndrome is never far away. But thanks to an excellent work culture, I’m free to ask all my “stupid” questions, to challenge the status quo, to come up with fixes, solutions, and ideas, including beyond my own team. And so far, it’s been going pretty well, even if I’m always eager to move even faster.

This brings me to another important point: we are hiring.

We have significant goals and the opportunity to make a real impact. We are looking for talented, driven and kind team members to join us. I'll be direct: the hiring standard is high, likely higher than at Google, which says something. Check out the job posting (or any other role at Canonical, if you’re curious) and come join a major open source company that impacts millions of people worldwide. These roles are 100% remote – Canonical has operated this way since its beginnings in 2004.

The journey continues, and I look forward to the path ahead, working alongside a dedicated team and the wider community to advance open source.