No other industry even comes close to the exceptional boom that IT has seen in the past few decades. As a constantly evolving and diverse filed, each era has marked some distinctive explorations in the IT industry that were brought in by thought leaders of the time. It is these people who, at the sharp end of the spear, change the dynamics of the industry and pave the way forward. Besides that, the constant competitiveness and pressures of the field demand innovative solutions that only a few are ever able to supply.

If you too are keen to learn where the tide is moving and wish to participate in the shift, here are some key thought leaders in the industry you should follow to stay up to date with the times.

 

• Jeff Sutherland

Jeff Sutherland is the inventor of Scrum- an Agile framework to manage complex software development projects. He is one of the prime contributors to the Agile Manifesto. 

You can follow him to learn from his experiences as a consultant to some of the world’s biggest brands such as Disney, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Twitter, etc. He has also authored and co-authored a number of books elated to Scrum and his experiences. Feel free to follow his twitter to learn more.

Twitter: @jeffsutherland 

 

• Martin Fowler

Martin Fowler is a software consultant and one of the authors of the Agile Manifesto. He has also authored 9 books about the best software development practices for corporates and businesses. Some of his great works include “Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture” and “Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code”. As an international speaker, Martin utilizes his 20 years of experience and shares his invaluable insights on Agile software development, patterns, DevOps, object-oriented analysis and design, etc. 

Twitter: @martinfowler 

• Stewart Butterfield

Stewart Butterfield, the founder of the work chat app called Slack, started his application in 2012 and has since grown into the world’s leading workplace software platform. With a stellar rise through the ranks, this new application was simple and effective and solved the most common workplace issues. With a background in software development and working extensively on other projects such as Flickr, Stewart Butterfield is one of the few who knows the way to go and we should follow.

Twitter: @stewart

• Sean Hull

Sean Hull is a DevOps, data and innovation expert with over 20 years of experience as an independent consultant. He holds expertise in various domains such as Docker, Terraform, business continuity, Kubernetes, GCP, PostgreSQL, AWS, & Redshift DB deployments. Follow him to learn from his mastery in a wide array of fields and his thoughts on where the industry is going to shift. Such pioneers need to be heard to bring about tangible change. 

Twitter: @hullsean

 

• Marc Benioff

Marc Benioff is the founder and co-CEO of Salesforce. Considered to be an important catalyst in the growth of cloud computing, Benioff created Salesforce as a one-stop solution for businesses with superior add ons. In 2018, he orchestrated a deal of $6.5 Billion for MuleSoft; bringing together disparate data, devices and software applications. A true visionary, Marc Benioff has taken the industry by storm and even adds to the society by his many philanthropic activities.

Twitter: @Benioff

 

• Kent Beck

Kent Beck is an American software engineer. He is also the creator of Extreme Programming – a new software development methodology that favours an iterative design process over rigid formal specification based modelling. A leading proponent of Test Driven Development, Kent Beck is a goldmine of new ideas on development and deserves a follow. 

Twitter: @KentBeck

• James Grenning

James Grenning is a software development professional with over 30 years of experience in the field. He now consults, trains and coaches across the world; utilizing his vast experience to create niche ideas and thoughts for the new generation to follow. The author of “Test-Driven Development for Embedded C”; James Grenning invented “Planning Poker”, an estimating technique used globally and also participated in the Agile Manifesto.

Twitter: @jwgrenning

 

And there you have it. Our selections of 7 thought leaders in the IT industry that you should follow. It is these and much more influential software and IT professionals that have made a mark in this industry and brought it to its current state of growth and progress. A few insights from the right person and who knows, you could be the next big thing! Follow these great individuals and excel in your career.