Jamon Holmgren - InfiniteRed

[hipstersmoothie]

Guest: Jamon Holmgren
Role: Co-Founder & CTO, Infinite Red
Topics: React Native, Running a Software Consulting Firm, Open Source, AI Adventures, Game Development

Questions

Background & Origin Story

• You learned to code at age 12 on a 486DX with QBasic, building games in rural Oregon. What was it about programming that captivated you so deeply, and how did that childhood obsession eventually lead you from operating excavation equipment to founding a software consultancy?

  Jamon's journey is remarkable — from a kid typing cd \games on a 286 to building hundreds of QBasic games as a teenager, to working construction and CAD design before starting his own business. His "beginnings" page tells this story beautifully and shows how non-traditional paths can lead to tech leadership.

  Resources:

  • Jamon's Beginnings
  • DevJourney Podcast #114

• You built your personal website using QBasic via QB64, calling it "Qub" (a QBasic web framework). What motivated that delightfully retro choice, and what does it say about your approach to technology?

  This is peak Jamon — taking a 30+ year old language from his childhood and using it to build a functional, fast website hosted on DigitalOcean. It demonstrates both nostalgia and genuine technical curiosity.

  Resources:

  • jamon.dev
  • Qub on GitHub

• In 2005, at 23 years old, you started ClearSight Studio while working as a home builder. Why did you choose to go into consultancy rather than working in Big Tech or at startups?

  The story of starting a consultancy from scratch while designing homes on the side is a powerful entrepreneurship lesson. Jamon built his team gradually from 2005-2015 before merging with Todd Werth's company to form Infinite Red.

  Resources:

  • Giant Robots Podcast #499
  • Remote Works Podcast - Episode 2

Running a Software Consulting Firm

• Infinite Red has been fully remote since the 2015 merger and has worked with companies like Microsoft, Zoom, Mercari, and GasBuddy. What's your philosophy on building and maintaining a distributed team, and what's been the hardest lesson learned?

  Infinite Red is a case study in successful remote work, predating the pandemic. Jamon has spoken extensively about the intentional effort required to make remote teams feel connected and communicate well. His perspective on "proactive leadership" for remote work is valuable.

  Resources:

  • Infinite Red
  • DistantJob Podcast Interview
  • Soshace Interview on Remote Work

• You've mentioned that measuring success is "less about business success and more about life success." How do you balance being CTO of a consultancy, hosting a podcast, maintaining open source projects, building a game, and being a dad of four (and now a grandpa)?

  Jamon has been transparent about structuring work around family — it's why Infinite Red is remote. His daily routine (hour of open source coding, then sales work, then meetings) and taking Christmas week off company-wide shows how intentional he is about balance.

  Resources:

  • Building Infinite Red Podcast
  • Giant Robots Podcast #499

• You've talked about "open source leadership" as a management style. What does that mean in practice, and how has it shaped the culture at Infinite Red?

  This concept ties together Jamon's belief in transparency, community involvement, and ethical business practices. Infinite Red stands as an example that businesses can be run ethically while still achieving success.

  Resources:

  • LinkedIn: Open Source Leadership Discussion

React Native & The Mobile Ecosystem

• Infinite Red was one of the first React Native adopters when it launched in 2015. After nearly a decade of working with it, what's your honest assessment of React Native's strengths and weaknesses, and where do you see it heading?

  Infinite Red has shipped 85+ React Native projects and is considered one of the premier consultancies in the space. This depth of experience gives Jamon unique perspective on the framework's evolution and its place in the mobile development landscape.

  Resources:

  • Infinite Red React Native Services
  • React Native Radio Podcast

• You host React Native Radio, maintain Ignite (the most popular React Native boilerplate with 19k+ stars), run the React Native Newsletter, and organize Chain React conference. How do you think about community building and why has Infinite Red invested so heavily in the React Native ecosystem?

  This multi-pronged approach to community building is strategic — it positions Infinite Red as the go-to experts while genuinely helping developers. The commitment has been consistent for nearly a decade.

  Resources:

  • Chain React Conference
  • Ignite on GitHub
  • React Native Newsletter

• Infinite Red is an official Expo Consultant Partner. How has the "Expo vs Vanilla React Native" conversation evolved, and when would you recommend one approach over the other?

  The relationship between Infinite Red and Expo has matured over six years. Ignite now integrates with Expo's CNG workflow and EAS build services. Jamon has specific guidance on when Expo makes sense and when it doesn't (like brownfield development or unsupported platforms).

  Resources:

  • Infinite Red Expo Page
  • React Native Radio #287 with Charlie Cheever

Adventures in AI

• You created Flame AI, a CLI that uses GPT-4 to help upgrade React Native apps. What made you realize AI could solve this particular pain point, and what were the biggest challenges in making it reliable?

  React Native upgrades have historically been painful. Flame AI leverages ChatGPT-4 to understand git diffs from React Native Upgrade Helper and intelligently apply changes. The tool costs about $0.05 per full upgrade.

  Resources:

  • Flame AI GitHub
  • React Native EU 2023 Talk
  • Flame AI on npm

• You gave a talk at React Native EU 2022 about "Integrating an AI feature in a React Native App." As AI tools have exploded since then, how has your thinking evolved about when and how to add AI to mobile applications?

  Jamon was exploring AI integration in React Native apps before the ChatGPT explosion. His perspective on practical AI implementation for mobile developers has likely matured significantly since that talk.

  Resources:

  • React Native EU Talk

• You've tweeted about using Claude Projects for game development, saying "90% of the code is generated via AI, and I feel more like a very involved engineering manager than a coder." How has AI changed your personal development workflow, and where do you still prefer to code manually?

  This is a candid look at how a deeply experienced developer is actually using AI in practice. The "engineering manager" framing is interesting — it suggests AI changes the nature of the work rather than just speeding it up.

  Resources:

  • X/Twitter Post on Claude for Game Dev

• You're building "Into the Dawn," a combat helicopter game in Godot. This seems like a full-circle moment back to making QBasic games as a kid. How has that journey been and how much has AI been a part of it?

  Into the Dawn is a passion project that connects back to Jamon's childhood love of WWII aircraft books and game development. It's a combat helicopter sim reminiscent of 90s games but with modern features like 8-player co-op and cross-platform support.

  Resources:

  • Jammin Games / Into the Dawn
  • Steam Store Page
  • Jamon's Game Dev YouTube Channel

• You chose Godot over Unity or Unreal. Why, and would you make the same choice again?

  Godot is open source, lightweight, and has a lower learning curve. For an indie developer working on a side project, these factors matter. Understanding Jamon's tech choice reveals his priorities.

  Resources:

  • Jammin Games Godot Plugins

Future & Closing

• What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a software consultancy in 2026?

  With 20+ years of consulting experience (10 at ClearSight, 10+ at Infinite Red), Jamon has perspective on how the landscape has changed and what timeless principles remain.

Links

• Personal Website
• Twitter/X
• GitHub
• LinkedIn
• Infinite Red
• Into the Dawn on Steam

Notable Quotes for Reference

"I've been pretty good at learning things. But I'm also very good at getting bored at things. If I can see how something applies to something I need to do, then I just dive into it."

"Measuring success is less about business success and it's more about life success. It's really more about family success."

"90% of the code is generated via AI, and I feel more like a very involved engineering manager than a coder."