Apr 15, 202110 min read
21 remote leaders to follow
Table of Contents
I.Remote Founders
1. 1.Chris Herd
1. 2.Marie Prokopets
1. 3.Tony Jamous
1. 4.Matt Mullenweg
1. 5.Melissa Ng
1. 6.Jason Fried
1. 7.Heather (McGough) Frentzen
II.Remote Thought Leaders
2. 1.Andreas Klinger
2. 2.Cheryl Cran
2. 3.Hailley Griffis
2. 4.Darren Murph
2. 5.Vera Lakmaker
2. 6.Pilar Orti
2. 7.Anne Helen Petersen
III.Remote Creators
3. 1.Pieter Levels
3. 2.Lisette Sutherland
3. 3.Steph Smith
3. 4.Stefan Palios
3. 5.Job van der Voort
3. 6.Gonçalo Hall
3. 7.Daniel Vassallo
Remote Founders
Chris Herd
Who are they?
Chris is the founder/CEO of Firstbase HQ which helps companies set up, manage, maintain and retrieve all the physical equipment their remote workers need to do great work at home.
Why should you follow them?
Chris probably talks to more remote companies than anyone else. Fortunately for us, he also tweets all of his findings.
Marie Prokopets
Who are they?
Marie is the co-founder of fyi and Product Habits, as well as a writer (often covering topics on remote working, of course).
Why should you follow them?
Marie writes frequently about her transition to remote work, and the struggles she faced around loneliness and isolation with that shift.
Tony Jamous
Who are they?
CEO of Oyster, who is making it easier to hire employees on the other side of the world. He's also the most nominated remote leader for our list!
Why should you follow them?
Tony collects the best remote insights from other companies and condenses the information into digestible tweets.
Matt Mullenweg
Who are they?
Matt Mullenweg is the founder of one of the largest remote companies in the world – Automattic.
Why should you follow them?
Matt writes about many topics that aid remote work like autonomy and the future of work. He offers thought-provoking and organic insights.
Melissa Ng
Who are they?
Melissa is the founder of Melewi (UX/UI business products) and Bravely (mental health help).
Why should you follow them?
Melissa writes and tweets at the intersection of remote work and mental health – a neglected area that needs more leaders like Melissa searching for solutions.
Jason Fried
Who are they?
Jason is the founder and CEO of Basecamp and a "serial author". He has a massive near 300k following on Twitter.
Why should you follow them?
Jason posts a diverse range of remote work content from new tools to live Q&As. While he doesn't focus solely on remote work, much of his content is remote-relevant.
Heather (McGough) Frentzen
Who are they?
Heather is the founder of Lean Startup Co. – the company helping other companies build the startup way.
Why should you follow them?
In 2021, "modern company" is synonymous with "remote company".
She tweets about remote company building and management.
Remote Thought Leaders
Andreas Klinger
Who are they?
Andreas is the former Head of Remote at AngelList, the current CTO of OnDeck and investor at remote first capital. You can listen to our podcast episode with him!
Why should you follow them?
Andreas was one of the leaders at the forefront of the remote work movement. He sits at the perfect intersection of startup and remote.
Cheryl Cran
Who are they?
Cheryl is a remote consultant, author and keynote speaker, as well as the creator of the NextMapping process which prepares companies for the future of work.
Why should you follow them?
Cheryl often posts fascinating insights and predictions that are relevant for mid to large-sized companies and management teams.
Hailley Griffis
Who are they?
Hailley is the co-host of the MakeWorkWork podcast, and also handles Public Relations for Buffer.
Why should you follow them?
In addition to her podcast content, Hailley frequently writes about remote work and career progress on her blog and Twitter feed.
Darren Murph
Who are they?
Darren is the Head of Remote at Gitlab, the company with perhaps the most documentation on their remote learnings.
Why should you follow them?
Darren is one of the most prolific bloggers on the planet, and much of it is about remote work. He also appears on many podcasts and Clubhouse rooms.
Vera Lakmaker
Who are they?
Vera is another Head of Remote (at Gameye) who is pioneering this newly invented remote leadership role.
Why should you follow them?
If you want to see how remote management and culture is integrated into separate company categories like gaming, Vera is the one you'll want to follow. While not all of her Tweets are about remote work, you still get a great idea of how she and the team apply the concepts.
Pilar Orti
Who are they?
Pilar is a remote work consultant and coach for teams transitioning to a flexible or remote workforce. She has 2 podcasts: 21st Century Work Life and Management Café.
Why should you follow them?
From her work interviewing guests on her podcasts to working with companies on their own remote policies, Pilar encounters many remote insights that are widely applicable to companies and startups of all sizes.
Anne Helen Petersen
Who are they?
Anne writes the Culture Study newsletter on Substack, which we highly recommend subscribing to.
Why should you follow them?
Anne writes about the remote work issues we are all thinking about (ex. "The Future of Remote Work is the Opposite of Lonely"). She's a great leader to follow when considering the enjoyment of the workplace culture and how that affects our lives.
Remote Creators
Pieter Levels
Who are they?
Pieter is the creator of NomadList and RemoteOK – two of the most famous products for remote workers and nomads.
Why should you follow them?
Pieter is always building new things that are, without fail, always super cool. Many of his products and tweets revolve around remote work.
Lisette Sutherland
Who are they?
Lisette is the author of WORK TOGETHER ANYWHERE, a public speaker, workshop facilitator, and podcaster.
Why should you follow them?
Lisette writes herself about remote work and the effects of the global workforce going remote, but she also collects valuable insights from other remote leaders like herself.
Steph Smith
Who are they?
Steph is a creator who really exploded in 2020. She's also Head of Trends at the Hustle and maker of Eunoia.
Why should you follow them?
If you are trying to stay ahead of the remote work curve, Steph is the person you need to be following. She frequently reflects on forward-thinking remote ideas and concepts.
Stefan Palios
Who are they?
Freelance entrepreneur, writer + expert on remote work, freelancing, and inclusion. He is the author of The 50 Laws of Freelancing and we religiously read his Remotely Inclined Substack.
Why should you follow them?
Stefan writes for many remote publications (including Building Remotely!) and knows the ends and outs of remote work from his consulting business.
Job van der Voort
Who are they?
Job is the founder and CEO of remote.com, but we are including him in the creator category because of his Remote Work Podcast.
Why should you follow them?
As the current CEO of a prolific remote service company and the former VP of Product at Gitlab, Job has an endless well of remote knowledge and wisdom to pull from.
Gonçalo Hall
Who are they?
Gonçalo is the host of the Remote Work Movement Podcast and Remote Europe. He's also building the first Digital Nomad village in Madeira.
Why should you follow them?
Gonçalo fully embraced remote work years ago, and has since been on a mission to expand the remote and nomad movements globally.
Daniel Vassallo
Who are they?
While not focused on remote work in and of itself, Daniel is a fascinating creator and part-time Head of Product at Gumroad.
Why should you follow them?
Daniel is one of the best people to follow if you are looking to build your best remote life. As an example, he is currently tweeting about building a self-sufficient remote home in the forest.
About the author
Sam Claassen
Head of Growth
SafetyWing
Sam Claassen is the Head of Growth at SafetyWing and a serial advocate for remote work. A longtime nomad himself, he has been to 65 countries while doing growth and remote work consulting for startups and accelerators. Through his work at SafetyWing, he is working with a team to create BuildingRemotely.com – a podcast, online resource and soon to be book on building a thriving remote company.
