Dev Propulsion Labs José Valim on feeding desire to learn, healthy Elixir ecosystem and the future of AI tooling
Jun 30, 2025
José Valim, the creator of Elixir and founder of Dashbit, shares insights from his journey in developing a beloved programming language. He discusses how prioritizing personal curiosity over market trends led to genuine community engagement. Valim emphasizes decentralization in the Elixir ecosystem, enabling diverse innovation. He also highlights the importance of transparent marketing through clear trade-offs. Currently, he's focused on Tidewave, aiming to create intuitive AI tools that enhance web development experiences.
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Building For Self And Learning
- José Valim built Elixir primarily to solve problems for himself and to learn, not chasing market trends.
- He accepted that the project might fail but valued the learning and challenge it provided regardless.
Prioritize Technical Decisions
- José prioritized technical soundness over adoption trends in Elixir's design decisions.
- He believes chasing adoption trends can lead to unstable and less polished outcomes.
Phoenix & Marketing Boost Adoption
- Phoenix framework was pivotal for Elixir's adoption, designed to leverage real-time and concurrent capabilities.
- Marketing efforts included engaging with influential developers and events to build community trust.