Kent Beck

Author

Kent Beck

Principal · Thinkies · verified 2026-09-01

Kent Beck brings over forty years of pioneering experience in software engineering methodologies, having created Extreme Programming (XP) and co-created Test-Driven Development (TDD)—practices that fundamentally transformed how organizations develop software. Currently authoring the best-selling newsletter tidyfirst.substack.com, he shares insights on software design, refactoring, and development practices with a global audience of engineering leaders and practitioners. As a co-author of the Agile Manifesto and creator of the xUnit testing framework, Kent has established foundational principles for iterative development and automated testing that remain industry standards, while his influential books, including Extreme Programming Explained, continue to shape modern software practices. Throughout his career at leading technology companies including Apple and Facebook, Kent has remained committed to improving developer productivity and software quality through pragmatic engineering practices and empirical approaches to design.

From itrevolution.com

2 in the library2 talksPublishing since 2025

In the library · 2

Writes with

Track record

Publications, talks, and the roles they came out of — one thread, newest first.

2026

Guidance paperRaising Seniors

with Jondavid Black, Cornelia Davis & 4 others

2026

TalkFeatures Versus Futures

AI Summit Spring 2026 · 26 min

2025

Guidance paperA Nose for Elevating New Technology Leaders

with Jondavid Black, Alana Henley & 3 others

2025

TalkKudzu to Garden: Sustainable Augmented Development

Las Vegas 2025 · 20 min

2022

RoleChief Scientist

Mechanical Orchard · 2022 – 2024

2020

RolePrincipal

Thinkies · 2020

2019

RoleFellow

Gusto · 2019 – 2022

2017

RolePrincipal / Author

Tidy First? · 2017

2011

RoleTechnical Coach

Facebook · 2011 – 2018

1992

RoleProgrammer / Proprietor

Three Rivers Consulting, Inc. · 1992