A Year of Growth and Transformation in Tech Leadership

The morning sun bathes Madrid in a gentle golden light as I sit here with my coffee, watching the last sunrise of 2024. The aroma of freshly ground beans fills my home office, where I've spent countless hours building, leading, and sometimes failing forward this year. This moment of reflection feels particularly poignant as I think about the journey that has shaped not just my career but my entire approach to leadership in tech.

The Startup Journey: When Ambition Meets Reality

It was last December, in this very spot, that I faced a pivotal moment. The final email from my previous employer, announcing the expected layoff, was a turning point. Instead of seeing it as an end, I saw it as an opportunity. The AI revolution, with tools like ChatGPT and Claude, had been a fascination of mine. This was the moment my entrepreneurial spirit found room to breathe.

Within weeks, I found myself deep in conversations with potential co-founders. We shared a vision of building something meaningful in the AI space. The excitement was palpable when we secured our first meeting with an investor who showed genuine interest in our ideas. I can still feel the nervous energy as we prepared our pitch deck, the late nights refining our vision, and the euphoric moment when we received our first commitment of support. It was a journey filled with anticipation and inspiration.

But the real learning came from what happened next. In our enthusiasm to differentiate ourselves, we made a decision that would test our resilience: building our own large language model. I remember the meeting where we made this choice. We were sitting each other remotely in different locations around the globe in front of our laptops, convinced we had found our unique angle in the market. The coffee had long gone cold as we mapped out our technical architecture.

Our decision to build our own large language model (LLM) was a bold move, driven by our enthusiasm to stand out. However, it soon became a lesson in strategy and focus. The sheer complexity of creating an LLM from scratch devoured our resources. Each day brought new technical challenges, and our runway began to shrink faster than expected. The hardest moment was the realization that we needed to pause the project. It wasn't a failure, but a powerful lesson that sometimes, the bravest decision a leader can make is to stop and reassess.

An Unexpected Turn. Leading in New Territory

Life has a way of opening doors when others close. My job search led me through numerous interviews and conversations as summer approached. I had a clear image of what I wanted: a role that would let me shape the future of AI in technology. But sometimes, the most valuable opportunities come disguised as something entirely different.

One warm afternoon in Madrid, I received a call that would change my trajectory. The offer for the Tech Leader and Engineering Manager position in the online betting industry for the African market was unexpected. It wasn't the role I had envisioned, but something in the conversation piqued my interest. The challenge of building and leading a team in an emerging market, the opportunity to solve complex technical problems, and the chance to make a real impact in a growing industry were opportunities I couldn't ignore.

Today, leading my team has taught me more about true innovation than any startup could. We're not just building features; we're creating solutions that have to work in some of the most challenging technical environments. When users access your platform through variable internet connections across multiple African countries, every technical decision becomes a lesson in empathy and practical innovation.

Building Bridges. AI Education and Community

One of my proudest achievements this year was collaborating with?LiDR?on their?AI for Developers course. This project emerged from a simple realization: the gap between AI's potential and its practical application in everyday development was widening. We needed to bridge this divide.

The course development process was intense but enlightening. I remember spending weeks breaking down complex AI concepts into digestible modules, always asking myself, "How would I have wanted to learn this when I was starting?" The result wasn't just a technical course - it became a framework for understanding how AI can augment and enhance human capabilities rather than replace them.

The Unexpected Power of Community

What started as a simple idea to connect Spanish-speaking Tech Leaders through a Lean Coffee group has evolved into something far more meaningful. Our first meeting had just five participants, joining a video call with varying degrees of skepticism. Today, we're a vibrant community of over fifty leaders, sharing challenges and victories, supporting each other through technical decisions and leadership dilemmas. This sense of connection is what makes our industry truly special.

I'll never forget one particular session in which a newly promoted tech lead shared his struggles with impostor syndrome. The authenticity and vulnerability in that conversation created a ripple effect, leading to some of the most honest discussions about leadership I've ever experienced. It reminded me that true leadership isn't about having all the answers; it's about creating spaces where people can grow together.

Global Context and Technology's Role

As I write this, I can't ignore the broader context in which we operate as tech leaders. The ongoing conflicts worldwide have highlighted how technology can connect or divide us. In our sphere of influence, we have the responsibility to ensure we're building technology that brings people together, serves human needs, and considers its impact on society.

The Future Beckons: AI and Quantum Computing

Looking ahead to 2025, I'm particularly excited about the convergence of AI and quantum computing. This isn't just about technological advancement—it's about reimagining what's possible. We're standing at the threshold of an era when these technologies could help us solve some of humanity's most pressing challenges, from climate change to healthcare accessibility.

A Personal Note on Growth

This year has transformed my understanding of leadership in technology. It's shown me that true innovation doesn't always come from where we expect it. Sometimes, it emerges from constraints, challenges, and the willingness to take paths we didn't initially envision.

To my fellow technical and product leaders reading this: our role extends beyond coding and architecture decisions. We're building the future, one decision at a time. The technologies we choose to develop, the teams we build, and the values we instill in our organizations will shape how technology influences society for years to come.

As the sun sets in 2024, I'm filled with gratitude for the challenges that have shaped me and excitement for the possibilities ahead. The journey of leadership in technology is never straight, but that's precisely what makes it beautiful.

What stories will you create in 2025?