Phil Johnston, II

Headshot of Phil Johnston, II

I've spent 15 years helping developers succeed on platforms most people only read about in press releases.

At GoPro, I built the Developer Program from zero to 330 partner companies, including NASA, Google, BMW, and Jaguar Land Rover, managing a team of 10 engineers to make it happen. At BMW, I led the application integration program that brought Audible, Pandora, and other household names into the connected car. At HERE Technologies, I onboarded 15,000 developers during a global pandemic and grew a cloud marketplace's addressable market by 2,250x. Most recently at 1Password, I established the company's developer relations vision across open and closed source, led cross-functional GTM, and served as chief developer advocate and content producer.

My work sits at the intersection of developer experience, technical product strategy, and community building. I think in terms of time-to-first-integration, developer adoption curves, and the content that actually moves people from "browsing the docs" to "shipping in production." I've built RAG-powered tutorial generation systems, custom social media monitoring tools, and the kind of developer marketing programs that produce 123 videos and measurable onboarding results.

I hold a BS in Computer Science from the University of Portland, where I was an Entrepreneur Scholar. I'm also certified in Prompt Engineering through Dr. Elvis Savaria's program (Facebook Llama Project).

Portland, OR. Remote-first since 2019.

Career Timeline

  • 2024 - Developer Relations, 1Password (Agilebits)

  • 2021-2023 - Sr. Product Manager, Cloud Marketplace Platform, HERE Technologies

  • 2019-2021 - Sr. Program Manager, Developer Relations, HERE Technologies

  • 2014-2017 - Director, GoPro Developer Relations

  • 2011-2014 - Head of BMW Group Developer Relations

  • 2008 - BS Computer Science, University of Portland (Entrepreneur Scholar)

Technical Focus

  • GenAI/ML: RAG Implementation, Prompt Engineering, OpenAI APIs

  • Platforms: API/SDK Product Management, Developer Experience (DX)

  • Cloud: Marketplace Platforms, Self-Service Infrastructure

  • Metrics: Developer Adoption, Time-to-Integration, Platform Growth

Get in touch

What Sets Me Apart

Zero-to-One DevRel Builder Three times I've built developer relations programs from scratch at companies that had never had one: BMW, GoPro, and 1Password. I know how to make the case internally, hire the team, define the metrics, and ship results before anyone loses patience.

Enterprise Partnership DNA My developer programs haven't just attracted hobbyists. I've built ecosystems that brought in NASA, Google, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, JPL, and Hot Wheels. I understand how to design programs that serve both indie builders and Fortune 500 engineering teams.

2,250x Market Growth At HERE Technologies, I took a cloud API marketplace from a narrow segment to a 2,250x expansion of its serviceable obtainable market. That's not a typo. That's what happens when developer experience strategy meets product management rigor.

15,000 Developers Onboarded During a Pandemic When COVID shut down every conference and meetup in 2020, I pivoted HERE's developer relations to fully digital, onboarding 15,000 developers and generating 100+ media articles through tutorials, video content, and community engagement.

AI-Native Practitioner I'm not just talking about AI. I've built RAG-based tutorial generation pipelines, custom social monitoring tools for Bluesky and Mastodon, and I hold a Prompt Engineering certification from the team behind Facebook's Llama project. I bring hands-on GenAI fluency to everything I do.

Content at Scale Across my career, I've produced and directed 123+ developer tutorial videos, written technical documentation, and served as the on-camera advocate for multiple brands. I understand the full pipeline from scripting to shooting to distribution.