A Year of Change and Persistence

This marks the ninth year of our WeCoded celebration. While each year has had its highs and lows, this one feels especially noteworthy. We are witnessing a shift in the industry, and for me, it comes with significant professional and personal updates that feel impossible to separate from the work we do here. For years, we were known as PBJ— @peter, @ben, and Jess. When you build something from the ground up as a trio, your identities become almost synonymous with the company and with each other. This year, that dynamic underwent its biggest shift yet when DEV was acquired by Major League Hacking (MLH). Most startups don’t make it "home" so this was a moment of immense pride that also marked a profound transition. I am moving from a seat where my co-founders and I held the collective weight of every decision we made to being one voice within a larger organization. It’s an exercise in leading through influence rather than direct authority. It is a transition I’m still navigating in a wor