About Steve McDougall

Steve McDougall, aka JustSteveKing, is a software engineer, Developer Advocate, and Laravel expert helping teams deliver impactful software.

Steve giving a talk at API Platform Conference in France.

On a mission to improve API education.

Hi there! I'm Steve McDougall, but you might know me better as JustSteveKing. Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I share my journey and experiences in the tech world. I'm based in the lovely Welsh Valleys in the UK, and I've got my hands in a few different pots when it comes to software engineering.

So, what do I do? Well, I wear a couple of hats. By day, I'm a freelance Software Engineer/Consultant CTO/Content Creator - working with a wide range of clients from start-ups to enterprise companies that either need some help, guidance, or content created to help expand their developer networks and communities.

But there's more to me than my day job. In my spare time I also like to write articles for publications such as Laravel News, or PHP Architect, as well as maintaining my own YouTube channel. When not doing this, I can be found contributing to open-source or speaking at conferences around the world.

My philosophy? It's all about bridging technology with community. I believe in empowering developers, fostering collaborative learning, and creating supportive spaces for everyone who's passionate about tech. For me, learning is a lifelong journey, and there's nothing better than sharing what you know with others.

Experience

PHP Fig

1 February 2024 - Present

Core Commitee Member

PHP Fig

As a core committee member I help steer PSRs and future PSRs for the PHP language.

[php] architect

1 August 2023 - Present

Columnist

[php] architect

I write the 'Artisan Way' and 'API Guy' columns for PHP Architect.

Lila Fuches

1 October 2024 - Present

Technical Directory

Lila Fuches

Freelance Software Engineering, consultant CTO, content-creator.

Treblle

1 March 2023 - 1 October 2024

Developer Advocate

Treblle

My role as a Developer Advocate was to help increase usage and visibility of the core products.

Geomiq

1 July 2022 - 1 February 2023

Engineering Manager

Geomiq

I managed a team of 10 engineers, and was responsible for the delivery of the core products.

Want to work with me?

I reguarly work with others giving talks, mentoring, and consulting. Feel free to reach out and book a call on my cal.com link.

My Approach & Values

  • Empathy: I prioritize understanding the unique challenges teams face to provide tailored solutions.
  • Scalability: I focus on building systems and teams that can grow seamlessly with your product.
  • Collaboration: Great software is built together. I like to work closely with your team to foster growth and knowledge-sharing.

What people say about me

Chris Miller

Chris Miller

Lead Developer @ MMS Marketing

Steve is a great developer with a wealth of knowledge that has contributed to many projects we have. His passion for API means we benefit from his aim for the best
Aaron Francis

Aaron Francis

Founder @ Try Hard Studies

Steve is one of the most thorough and thoughtful educators I've seen. He puts in a ton of effort and it clearly shows.
Alex Six

Alex Six

Head of Developer Relations @ Filament PHP

Steve is the teacher you wish you had in school. He’s informative, entertaining, and passionate about what he does. I’m always excited to see more of Steve’s content!
Davor Minchorov

Davor Minchorov

Senior PHP Engineer @ Adeva

Steve is an awesome guy who knows a thing or two about APIs. I’ve learned so much from his content on his YouTube channel as well as his API video course.
Brent Roose

Brent Roose

Developer Advocate @ jetBrains

To me, there's one word that comes to mind: 'passion'. There are only a handful of people with the same passion for programming as Steve.
Eric Barnes

Eric Barnes

Founder @ Laravel News

Steve is an awesome writer and communicator, he can take complex problems and communicate them in a way that anyone can understand.
Gary Clark

Gary Clark

YouTuber @ Gary Clarke Tech

Steve is highly engaging and an expert in what he does. I bookmark everything he publishes and refer back to it on a regular basis. The API king!
Chris Miller

Chris Miller

Lead Developer @ MMS Marketing

Steve is a great developer with a wealth of knowledge that has contributed to many projects we have. His passion for API means we benefit from his aim for the best
Aaron Francis

Aaron Francis

Founder @ Try Hard Studies

Steve is one of the most thorough and thoughtful educators I've seen. He puts in a ton of effort and it clearly shows.
Alex Six

Alex Six

Head of Developer Relations @ Filament PHP

Steve is the teacher you wish you had in school. He’s informative, entertaining, and passionate about what he does. I’m always excited to see more of Steve’s content!
Davor Minchorov

Davor Minchorov

Senior PHP Engineer @ Adeva

Steve is an awesome guy who knows a thing or two about APIs. I’ve learned so much from his content on his YouTube channel as well as his API video course.
Brent Roose

Brent Roose

Developer Advocate @ jetBrains

To me, there's one word that comes to mind: 'passion'. There are only a handful of people with the same passion for programming as Steve.
Eric Barnes

Eric Barnes

Founder @ Laravel News

Steve is an awesome writer and communicator, he can take complex problems and communicate them in a way that anyone can understand.
Gary Clark

Gary Clark

YouTuber @ Gary Clarke Tech

Steve is highly engaging and an expert in what he does. I bookmark everything he publishes and refer back to it on a regular basis. The API king!
Chris Miller

Chris Miller

Lead Developer @ MMS Marketing

Steve is a great developer with a wealth of knowledge that has contributed to many projects we have. His passion for API means we benefit from his aim for the best
Aaron Francis

Aaron Francis

Founder @ Try Hard Studies

Steve is one of the most thorough and thoughtful educators I've seen. He puts in a ton of effort and it clearly shows.
Alex Six

Alex Six

Head of Developer Relations @ Filament PHP

Steve is the teacher you wish you had in school. He’s informative, entertaining, and passionate about what he does. I’m always excited to see more of Steve’s content!
Davor Minchorov

Davor Minchorov

Senior PHP Engineer @ Adeva

Steve is an awesome guy who knows a thing or two about APIs. I’ve learned so much from his content on his YouTube channel as well as his API video course.
Brent Roose

Brent Roose

Developer Advocate @ jetBrains

To me, there's one word that comes to mind: 'passion'. There are only a handful of people with the same passion for programming as Steve.
Eric Barnes

Eric Barnes

Founder @ Laravel News

Steve is an awesome writer and communicator, he can take complex problems and communicate them in a way that anyone can understand.
Gary Clark

Gary Clark

YouTuber @ Gary Clarke Tech

Steve is highly engaging and an expert in what he does. I bookmark everything he publishes and refer back to it on a regular basis. The API king!
Chris Miller

Chris Miller

Lead Developer @ MMS Marketing

Steve is a great developer with a wealth of knowledge that has contributed to many projects we have. His passion for API means we benefit from his aim for the best
Aaron Francis

Aaron Francis

Founder @ Try Hard Studies

Steve is one of the most thorough and thoughtful educators I've seen. He puts in a ton of effort and it clearly shows.
Alex Six

Alex Six

Head of Developer Relations @ Filament PHP

Steve is the teacher you wish you had in school. He’s informative, entertaining, and passionate about what he does. I’m always excited to see more of Steve’s content!
Davor Minchorov

Davor Minchorov

Senior PHP Engineer @ Adeva

Steve is an awesome guy who knows a thing or two about APIs. I’ve learned so much from his content on his YouTube channel as well as his API video course.
Brent Roose

Brent Roose

Developer Advocate @ jetBrains

To me, there's one word that comes to mind: 'passion'. There are only a handful of people with the same passion for programming as Steve.
Eric Barnes

Eric Barnes

Founder @ Laravel News

Steve is an awesome writer and communicator, he can take complex problems and communicate them in a way that anyone can understand.
Gary Clark

Gary Clark

YouTuber @ Gary Clarke Tech

Steve is highly engaging and an expert in what he does. I bookmark everything he publishes and refer back to it on a regular basis. The API king!
Jack Ellis

Jack Ellis

Co-Founder @ Fathom Analytics

Steve is one of the top API experts in the world and has been teaching our community for years.
Laravel Jutsu

Laravel Jutsu

YouTuber @ Laravel Jutsu

Steve has a profound mastery of APIs and a public-serving teaching approach.
Luke Downing

Luke Downing

Educator @ Laracasts

Steve is a stream of knowledge. If you like clean, strict code and silky APIs, there’s nobody I’d sooner turn to for advice!
Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson

Chief Technology Officer @ Ice House Ventures

Steve is an absolute weapon. We came for the APIs but we stayed for the clean code, robust systems architecture and deep knowledge of Laravel conventions. Steve made our code faster, more stable and easier to maintain ourselves in the future.
Stephen Rees-Carter

Stephen Rees-Carter

Friendly Hacker @ Valorin Security

Steve is one of my favourite people. He has a huge passion for teaching developers about APIs and good coding practices.
Steven Tey

Steven Tey

Founder @ Dub.co

Steve brings knowledge and passion to the community, with easy to follow content that adds real value to any company that uses him.
Sam Carré

Sam Carré

Head of Engineering @ Plannr CRM

Steve’s enthusiasm and positive attitude makes his educational content super easy to digest and makes learning new tools and languages really fun.
Jack Ellis

Jack Ellis

Co-Founder @ Fathom Analytics

Steve is one of the top API experts in the world and has been teaching our community for years.
Laravel Jutsu

Laravel Jutsu

YouTuber @ Laravel Jutsu

Steve has a profound mastery of APIs and a public-serving teaching approach.
Luke Downing

Luke Downing

Educator @ Laracasts

Steve is a stream of knowledge. If you like clean, strict code and silky APIs, there’s nobody I’d sooner turn to for advice!
Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson

Chief Technology Officer @ Ice House Ventures

Steve is an absolute weapon. We came for the APIs but we stayed for the clean code, robust systems architecture and deep knowledge of Laravel conventions. Steve made our code faster, more stable and easier to maintain ourselves in the future.
Stephen Rees-Carter

Stephen Rees-Carter

Friendly Hacker @ Valorin Security

Steve is one of my favourite people. He has a huge passion for teaching developers about APIs and good coding practices.
Steven Tey

Steven Tey

Founder @ Dub.co

Steve brings knowledge and passion to the community, with easy to follow content that adds real value to any company that uses him.
Sam Carré

Sam Carré

Head of Engineering @ Plannr CRM

Steve’s enthusiasm and positive attitude makes his educational content super easy to digest and makes learning new tools and languages really fun.
Jack Ellis

Jack Ellis

Co-Founder @ Fathom Analytics

Steve is one of the top API experts in the world and has been teaching our community for years.
Laravel Jutsu

Laravel Jutsu

YouTuber @ Laravel Jutsu

Steve has a profound mastery of APIs and a public-serving teaching approach.
Luke Downing

Luke Downing

Educator @ Laracasts

Steve is a stream of knowledge. If you like clean, strict code and silky APIs, there’s nobody I’d sooner turn to for advice!
Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson

Chief Technology Officer @ Ice House Ventures

Steve is an absolute weapon. We came for the APIs but we stayed for the clean code, robust systems architecture and deep knowledge of Laravel conventions. Steve made our code faster, more stable and easier to maintain ourselves in the future.
Stephen Rees-Carter

Stephen Rees-Carter

Friendly Hacker @ Valorin Security

Steve is one of my favourite people. He has a huge passion for teaching developers about APIs and good coding practices.
Steven Tey

Steven Tey

Founder @ Dub.co

Steve brings knowledge and passion to the community, with easy to follow content that adds real value to any company that uses him.
Sam Carré

Sam Carré

Head of Engineering @ Plannr CRM

Steve’s enthusiasm and positive attitude makes his educational content super easy to digest and makes learning new tools and languages really fun.
Jack Ellis

Jack Ellis

Co-Founder @ Fathom Analytics

Steve is one of the top API experts in the world and has been teaching our community for years.
Laravel Jutsu

Laravel Jutsu

YouTuber @ Laravel Jutsu

Steve has a profound mastery of APIs and a public-serving teaching approach.
Luke Downing

Luke Downing

Educator @ Laracasts

Steve is a stream of knowledge. If you like clean, strict code and silky APIs, there’s nobody I’d sooner turn to for advice!
Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson

Chief Technology Officer @ Ice House Ventures

Steve is an absolute weapon. We came for the APIs but we stayed for the clean code, robust systems architecture and deep knowledge of Laravel conventions. Steve made our code faster, more stable and easier to maintain ourselves in the future.
Stephen Rees-Carter

Stephen Rees-Carter

Friendly Hacker @ Valorin Security

Steve is one of my favourite people. He has a huge passion for teaching developers about APIs and good coding practices.
Steven Tey

Steven Tey

Founder @ Dub.co

Steve brings knowledge and passion to the community, with easy to follow content that adds real value to any company that uses him.
Sam Carré

Sam Carré

Head of Engineering @ Plannr CRM

Steve’s enthusiasm and positive attitude makes his educational content super easy to digest and makes learning new tools and languages really fun.

© 2025 JustSteveKing. All rights reserved.

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