LeadDev

What LeadDev offers

• Conferences: annual multi-day events in London, New York and Berlin, with talks, panels and networking. These are paid.
• Talk archive: recordings of conference talks, many free to watch.
• Articles: written pieces on management, culture, technical direction, hiring and AI in engineering teams.
• Reports: research reports on topics such as engineering leadership and the impact of AI.
• Webinars and panels: free online sessions on specific topics.
• Memberships: role-focused content for engineering managers, staff-plus engineers, and directors and above.
• Newsletters summarising new content.

Why the talk format suits leadership topics

Leadership problems are situational. A talk that walks through one real situation in twenty minutes (restructuring a team, running an incident review, managing an underperformer, becoming a lead) conveys more than a general article on the category. Most speakers are practitioners describing what they did and what they would change, which makes the material easier to trust and adapt.

How to use it well

• Search, do not scroll. The archive works best as a reference. When you face a specific problem this month, search for it.
• Watch at higher speed and note one idea you will try.
• Share a relevant talk with your team or manager before discussing a change. A shared reference makes the conversation easier.
• Look at the memberships only if the free material keeps proving useful and your employer will pay for learning.

Is it worth attending a conference?

For most engineers outside those cities, travel and ticket costs make the conferences hard to justify personally. Many companies do fund them for leads and managers, so it is worth asking. The recorded talks give much of the content without the cost; what you lose is the conversations with peers.

Who should skip it

If you are a student or early career engineer, most of the content will not yet apply. Focus on technical skills and delivery first. It becomes relevant when you start leading projects, mentoring or considering management.

Pair it with

• StaffEng for the senior individual contributor path
• Engineering Leadership or Refactoring newsletters for weekly reading
• An Elegant Puzzle for a structured view of engineering management

Common questions

Is the content free? Much of it is: articles, many recorded talks and webinars. Conferences and memberships are paid.

Is it only for managers? No. There is dedicated content for staff and principal engineers, who lead without managing people.

Is it US-focused? It has events in Europe and the US, and speakers come from many countries, but examples tend to come from product tech companies.

Best for: tech leads, engineering managers and senior engineers with leadership responsibility who want practical, experience-based advice.