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Hey there, I'm Lorenzo 👋

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I am currently working as a Technologist for the Sovereign Tech Agency, making open source more sustainable. Previously, I have been a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft and a dedicated maintainer of React Native for 6+ years. I’m also an vocal advocate for mental health.

My Journey 🚀 #

Born and raised in Italy, I ventured to the vibrant city of London 🇬🇧 over half a decade ago, marking a new chapter in a journey that began with my Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Politecnico di Torino. With a decade’s worth of keyboard warriorship, my path in the tech industry has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. From tackling industry-wide challenges to sharing insights at conferences and meetups, my passion lies in uplifting and empowering those around me. My commitment extends beyond technology; I am a staunch advocate for mental health within our industry. Openly sharing my experiences with burnout and therapy, I aim to destigmatize these important conversations and foster a more supportive and understanding tech community.

Open Source and Beyond 🌐 #

  • A a technologist for STF, I works on initiatives to support and sustain the open source ecosystem, building on my extensive background in OSS maintenance.
  • As a maintainer of react-native from January 2018 til June 2024, I’ve been involved in many ways in its evolution:
    • 🚀 Released approximately 50 versions of the react-native package, navigating the complexities of various semver minors. The journey from 0.56 onwards has been nothing short of unpredictable. 🤯
    • 🤝 Co-driven the presence and coordination of Microsoft within the React Native ecosystem.
    • ✨ Authored the prominent VSCode Extension Pack for react-native, known as “React Native - Full Pack”, amassing over 100k downloads.
  • 🏅 Recognized in the 2022 OpenUK Honours List, celebrating significant contributions to open technology in the UK.
  • 🤝 Founded and organized “Provided As Is”, a London-based meetup serving as a support network for open-source maintainers.

Worked on ⚙️ #

Here are some of the things I’ve worked on as a software engineer and maintainer over the years:

  • React Native, which enable you to create awesome cross-platform iOS and Android apps powered by Javascript.
  • React Native Windows, what if I told you that we can use React Native for Windows as well?
  • React Native macOS, and for macOS too!
  • rnx-kit, some of extra and advanced tools made at Microsoft to make RN even better!
  • React Native Test App, an iOS-Android-macOS-Windows React Native project without upgrading pains.

Beyond Code: My Projects and Advocacy 🌟 #

My passion extends beyond the realm of coding into various projects and advocacy initiatives that resonate with my core values:

  • debug:mind, my YouTube series where I talk with tech people about mental health; on its website you can also find resources I collect around mental health and tech.
  • Talks and Podcasts and more, in this page you can find all my talks at confs, along with blogposts and podcasts and etc.
  • Job Hunting Resources, a GitHub page with resources to help people in tech finding jobs.

Let’s Connect 🤝 #

I’m always open to connect, share, and collaborate. Feel free to dive into my LinkedIn profile for a deeper glimpse of my professional journey. If you’re up for a chat or have any inquiries, don’t hesitate to drop me an email or send a message via Bluesky DMs . For a broader overview of my digital presence, head back to the homepage where all paths converge.

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