Going freelance in tech means you suddenly own a lot more than your code. Pricing, sales, positioning, contracts, tax rules, and keeping up with a market that AI reshapes every quarter all become your job.
The good news is that a handful of people talk about all this, every week, for free (well, some magic info is paid). The not so good news are that the "freelancing guru" corner of the internet is noisy, and a lot of it isn't written for engineers, data people, or tech consultants.
So we did some filtering. Below are 12 people worth following if you are a tech freelancer, or seriously thinking about becoming one. For each, you'll find what they talk about, what makes them useful, the formats they use, their numbers, and where to find them. Hope we've made the right choice, we are sure you will tell us if we need to include someone else, right? :)
How we picked them
- Relevance. Each person talks about independent work in tech, runs a consulting practice, or covers a topic every tech freelancer needs (pricing, market shifts, contracting rules).
- Active and verifiable. We checked every LinkedIn profile on 24 September 2026. Follower counts are exact as of that date. Engagement ranges come from a sample of each person's recent posts, so treat them as a signal rather than a ranking.
- "Active since" is a proxy. LinkedIn doesn't show when someone started posting, so we use a public milestone instead: a channel launch, a newsletter launch, a book, or a first award.
- LinkedIn isn't everyone's main stage. Some of the strongest voices here are bigger on YouTube or in newsletters. We note that where it applies.
At a glance
| # | Name | Focus | LinkedIn followers | Main channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Stark | Pricing for independents | 14,303 | LinkedIn, email |
| 2 | Ran Segall | Freelance web design as a business | 10,818 | YouTube |
| 3 | Nick Saraev | Landing AI automation clients | 59,496 | YouTube |
| 4 | Liam Ottley | AI automation agency model | 45,475 | YouTube |
| 5 | Benjamin Rogojan | Independent data consulting | 188,219 | LinkedIn, newsletter |
| 6 | Vin Vashishta | Data and AI strategy consulting | 212,116 | |
| 7 | Joe Reis | Data engineering | 98,038 | LinkedIn, podcasts |
| 8 | Pau Labarta Bajo | Hands-on machine learning | 70,835 | Newsletter |
| 9 | Aleyda Solís | Independent SEO consulting | 124,094 | LinkedIn, newsletter |
| 10 | Allie K. Miller | AI for business | 1,675,019 | |
| 11 | Gergely Orosz | Tech job market and industry | 216,094 | Newsletter |
| 12 | Dave Chaplin | UK contracting and IR35 | 40,783 | LinkedIn, website |
Part 1: Freelancing, pricing and winning clients
1. Jonathan Stark
Author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts and host of the Ditching Hourly podcast
What he talks about: Getting off the hourly treadmill. Jonathan is a former software developer turned consultant, and his whole platform is built around value pricing for freelancers and consultants.
Added value: He gives you language for the hardest conversations in freelancing: what to say when a client asks for your rate, how to price a project by outcome, and why billing by the hour quietly caps your income.
Content formats: Short, punchy daily text posts. Books (including Hourly Billing Is Nuts), a daily email and the Ditching Hourly podcast.
Why follow: If you only fix one thing in your freelance business this year, fix your pricing. His posts are a daily nudge in that direction.
Numbers: 14,303 LinkedIn followers. Posts daily.
Active since (proxy): Said in 2018 he was becoming much more active on LinkedIn.
Links: LinkedIn | jonathanstark.com
2. Ran Segall
Founder & CEO, Flux Academy
What he talks about: Freelance web design as a real business. Ran spent close to 20 years as a freelance designer and grew his practice past $250k in yearly revenue before building Flux Academy.
Added value: Very practical on the business side: finding clients, pricing web projects, and building a repeatable process. Useful for front-end developers and designers who sell websites.
Content formats: Long-form YouTube videos, courses (including Six-Figure Freelancer and the Webflow Masterclass), and weekly LinkedIn posts.
Why follow: He shows both the wins and the roadblocks of running a freelance design business, not just the highlight reel.
Numbers: 10,818 LinkedIn followers. Recent posts drew roughly 8 to 125 reactions. His LinkedIn bio cites 400k+ YouTube subscribers.
Active since (proxy): 2015, when he started the Flux YouTube channel.
Links: LinkedIn | flux-academy.com | YouTube
3. Nick Saraev
Founder, Maker School | Co-founder, LeftClick
What he talks about: Turning AI and automation skills into freelance income. His Maker School program is built around landing your first AI services client within 90 days.
Added value: Tool-specific, hands-on tutorials (Claude Code, n8n, AI coding workflows) combined with the business side of selling them.
Content formats: Mostly long-form YouTube tutorials, some several hours long, plus near-daily LinkedIn posts.
Why follow: If you're a developer or automation specialist wondering how to package AI skills into client work, this is one of the most practical feeds around.
Numbers: 59,496 LinkedIn followers. Recent posts drew roughly 54 to 97 reactions, with one post passing 120 comments. Around 468k YouTube subscribers.
Active since (proxy): Around mid-2020, based on the age of his YouTube channel.
Links: LinkedIn | YouTube | nicksaraev.com
Main platform: YouTube.
4. Liam Ottley
Founder & CEO, AI Makeover | Creator of the AAA model
What he talks about: The AI Automation Agency (AAA) model, which he coined in 2023 based on his own agency, Morningside AI.
Added value: A clear roadmap for going from solo AI freelancer to small agency, including sales, pricing and delivery.
Content formats: YouTube videos ranging from short explainers to multi-hour deep dives, a large free online community, and LinkedIn posts several times a week.
Why follow: Good if you're considering a step beyond solo freelancing into a small AI services team.
Numbers: 45,475 LinkedIn followers. Recent posts drew roughly 200 to 270 reactions. His community reports 300,000+ members.
Active since (proxy): Early 2023, when he started sharing AI content on YouTube.
Main platform: YouTube.
Part 2: AI, data and tech consulting
5. Benjamin Rogojan ("Seattle Data Guy")
Principal Consultant & Owner, Seattle Data Guy
What he talks about: Independent data consulting. Ben runs a data infrastructure consulting firm and speaks openly about moving from data engineer to consultant.
Added value: Rare combination: deep technical credibility (he previously worked as a data engineer at Facebook) plus candid talk about how consulting actually works.
Content formats: A Substack newsletter, YouTube videos and LinkedIn posts several times a week.
Why follow: The single best fit on this list if you're a data engineer thinking about going independent.
Numbers: 188,219 LinkedIn followers. His top recent posts drew roughly 100 to 250 reactions.
Active since (proxy): Already known as a consultant and "Seattle Data Guy" by December 2020.
Links: LinkedIn | Newsletter | YouTube
6. Vin Vashishta
Founder, V Squared | Author, From Data to Profit
What he talks about: Making data and AI pay off for businesses. Vin built V Squared from its first client into one of the longest-running data and AI consultancies, and wrote From Data to Profit (Wiley, 2023).
Added value: He thinks like a consultant selling to executives, which is exactly the skill many technical freelancers lack as they move upmarket.
Content formats: Daily LinkedIn posts and a LinkedIn newsletter, plus his book and podcast appearances.
Why follow: To learn how to frame technical work in business terms that justify higher rates.
Numbers: 212,116 LinkedIn followers. Recent posts drew roughly 16 to 460 reactions.
Active since (proxy): Consulting since 2012; recognized as a data and AI thought leader since around 2016.
Links: LinkedIn
7. Joe Reis
Author, data engineer & architect, professor
What he talks about: Data engineering and architecture. Joe co-wrote Fundamentals of Data Engineering (O'Reilly, 2022) and co-founded Ternary Data, a data engineering consulting firm.
Added value: A grounded, hype-resistant view of where data work is heading, which matters when you're choosing what skills to sell next.
Content formats: LinkedIn posts several times a week, podcasts and conference talks.
Why follow: Keeps you current on the data engineering landscape your clients are buying into.
Numbers: 98,038 LinkedIn followers. Recent posts drew up to roughly 670 reactions.
Active since (proxy): 2022, with the publication of his book.
Links: LinkedIn
Recent change: at the time of writing his LinkedIn headline reads "Something new coming", so his role may be changing.
8. Pau Labarta Bajo
Builds and teaches AI | Real-World ML newsletter
What he talks about: Building machine learning systems that work in the real world. He has worked as a freelance ML engineer and has written about starting out on the freelance path.
Added value: Hands-on, project-based ML teaching that helps you build a portfolio clients can actually evaluate.
Content formats: The Real-World ML newsletter (30k+ subscribers per Substack), courses and LinkedIn posts.
Why follow: For ML engineers who want practical, build-it-yourself skills rather than theory.
Numbers: 70,835 LinkedIn followers. He has posted less often recently (roughly monthly), with recent posts drawing about 9 to 100 reactions.
Active since (proxy): May 2022, when he launched his newsletter.
Links: LinkedIn | realworldml.net
Recent change: his current Substack bio says he teaches AI at Liquid AI, so he may no longer be freelancing.
9. Aleyda Solís
SEO & AI Search Consultant, Founder of Orainti
What she talks about: SEO and AI search. Aleyda is an independent consultant and founder of Orainti, a boutique SEO consultancy.
Added value: A model of how a solo technical expert can build an international consulting brand through consistent, generous content.
Content formats: Daily LinkedIn posts, the weekly SEOFOMO newsletter (34,000+ subscribers), the Crawling Mondays video series and the free LearningSEO.io roadmap.
Why follow: For web developers and technical marketers, and for anyone studying how to become known in a niche.
Numbers: 124,094 LinkedIn followers. Recent posts drew roughly 6 to 75 reactions.
Active since (proxy): 2018, when she was named European Search Personality of the Year.
Links: LinkedIn | aleydasolis.com | SEOFOMO
10. Allie K. Miller
Fortune 500 AI & startup advisor | Former Amazon, IBM
What she talks about: AI for business. Allie advises large companies on AI and previously led machine learning for startups and venture capital at AWS.
Added value: She doesn't talk about freelancing, but she is one of the best early-warning systems for which AI skills companies will pay for next.
Content formats: Near-daily LinkedIn posts, plus Instagram, X and TikTok.
Why follow: To spot demand shifts early and position your services before the market catches up.
Numbers: 1,675,019 LinkedIn followers. Recent posts drew up to roughly 180 reactions and around 100 comments.
Active since (proxy): 2019, when she was first named a LinkedIn Top Voice for Technology and AI.
Links: LinkedIn | alliekmiller.com
11. Gergely Orosz
Author of The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter
What he talks about: The software engineering industry from the inside: Big Tech, startups, hiring and the state of the tech job market.
Added value: When you freelance, the job market is your market. Gergely's reporting helps you read demand, rates and hiring trends.
Content formats: The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter (two editions a week, 800,000+ subscribers as of late 2024), books, a podcast and LinkedIn posts several times a week.
Why follow: The most reliable single source on what's happening across the tech industry.
Numbers: 216,094 LinkedIn followers. Recent posts drew up to roughly 250 reactions.
Active since (proxy): 2021, when he left Uber and launched his newsletter.
Links: LinkedIn | pragmaticengineer.com
Part 3: Legal and contracting rules
12. Dave Chaplin
CEO, IR35 Shield & ContractorCalculator
What he talks about: UK contracting and IR35. Dave is a former IT contractor who founded ContractorCalculator in 1999 and now runs IR35 Shield.
Added value: If you contract into UK clients, the rules on employment status can decide your take-home pay. Dave tracks tribunal cases, policy changes and what they mean for contractors.
Content formats: Daily LinkedIn posts, a LinkedIn newsletter, guides, calculators, webinars and podcast appearances.
Why follow: Essential if the UK is, or will be, one of your markets.
Numbers: 40,783 LinkedIn followers.
Active since (proxy): 1999, when he founded ContractorCalculator.
Links: LinkedIn | contractorcalculator.co.uk | ir35shield.co.uk | X
Who to follow first, by stage
- Thinking about going freelance: Gergely Orosz (read the market), Benjamin Rogojan (see what consulting really looks like), Nick Saraev (if AI services interest you).
- In your first year: Jonathan Stark (pricing), Ran Segall (process and clients), Dave Chaplin (if you work with UK clients).
- Scaling rates and clients: Vin Vashishta (selling to executives), Liam Ottley (growing beyond solo), Aleyda Solís (building a niche brand).
- Staying technically sharp: Joe Reis, Pau Labarta Bajo, Allie K. Miller.
How to judge any freelancing voice
Not everyone with a big following gives good advice. Before you act on a post, check:
- Do they (or did they) do the work? Real client delivery beats theory. Did they walk the talk in other words.
- Are income claims backed by specifics? Screenshots and round numbers are marketing, not evidence.
- Is the advice for your market? Pricing and legal rules differ a lot between the US, UK, and EU (and within each EU country it's different).
- Do they show the hard parts? Credible people talk about slow months, bad clients, and mistakes.
- What are they selling? Selling a course is fine. Just weigh the advice with that in mind.
Final thought
Following the right people won't replace doing the work, but it will shorten the learning curve. Start with two or three from this list that match your stage and specialty, turn on notifications, and actually engage in the comments. That's often where the best conversations (and sometimes the next client) happen.
If you're a senior contractor in cloud, data or AI and want to see what project work is available in the UK and Europe, you can find us at gigsremote.com.
Know a tech freelancing voice we missed? Tell us in the comments on LinkedIn.
