The GitHub Podcast Mike McQuaid on the Greatest Lessons He’s Learned in Over 16 Years at Homebrew
Oct 7, 2025
Mike McQuaid, the project lead of Homebrew with over 16 years of experience, shares his insights on maintaining one of the most essential developer tools. He discusses how to effectively scale contributions through automation and governance while keeping a small team motivated. Mike emphasizes the importance of soft power in leadership, setting boundaries, and saying no to prevent burnout. He also delves into the evolving support for open source from GitHub and the responsible use of AI, highlighting the significance of clear documentation and face-to-face interactions.
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How Mike Joined Homebrew
- Mike McQuaid joined Homebrew a few months after it launched and became the third maintainer.
- He started by submitting commits via IRC links before pull requests existed and never stopped contributing.
Automation Scales Contributions
- Homebrew scales contributions by making the contribution surface readable and automating workflows.
- Automation and editor integration reduce friction and shift repetitive reviews into CI checks.
Prioritize Maintainers' Well‑Being
- Protect maintainers by enforcing low tolerance for abusive behavior and prioritize their retention.
- Choose contributors over users when conflicts risk burning out core maintainers.