Superheroes, Startups, and Security: Sohail's Path to Developer Advocacy at Okta

“Sometimes, all it takes is a spark of curiosity to ignite a lifelong journey.” - Unknown

Hello OktaDev community 👋! Let me tell you a story – a story of dreams, passion, and the continuous pursuit of curiosity. My name is Sohail Pathan, and I’m thrilled to join Okta as a Senior Developer Advocate.

It all started in Nagpur, a quaint city nestled in central India. As a child, I eagerly peered through my window, convinced superheroes were real and that someday Superman himself would swing by. While superheroes never appeared, another hero soon took their place – technology.

School never captivated me much, but the computer lab was a magical place. Recognizing this spark, my parents gifted me my first desktop computer – a moment that forever changed my life. A formal education in Computer Science followed, where I fell in love with Java and the vibrant Android ecosystem. When Google introduced Kotlin support in 2017, weekends turned into coding marathons, building Android apps for everyday use.

My professional journey: from an app developer to a developer advocate

My professional path started at an EdTech startup. Here, my first role as an Android developer unfolded with both excitement and nervous anticipation. I vividly remember my early days, meticulously building and refining app features, driven by the genuine joy of seeing students interact with the app. On the go, my involvement quickly expanded beyond just coding. I found myself drawn to answering student queries on forums and guiding them through their learning journeys.

Image: Post meetup group photo with attendees (I’m the one in black blazer 🕴️).

One fine afternoon, the founders approached me. They said – You have a gift for connecting with our users. We’d like you to be our first Developer Community Manager. That moment changed everything. I started organizing meetups where we taught about open-source opportunities like GSOC and Hacktoberfest. I used to spend most of my time answering questions on our forums, helping learners one-on-one, and cheering them on as they built their first projects.

I didn’t realize it then, but I was doing the heart of a Developer Relations job – talking to upcoming developers, understanding their struggles, and sharing my own code. The community started growing, and I loved it so much that I decided to make community work my fulltime role without giving up my passion for coding. It was a win-win for me 🎉.

Adventures in developer relations

The DevRel adventure deepened when I joined a deeptech startup that aimed to solve a big pain point: making it easier to run Android Studio on the cloud, which could help people with machines that have limited processing power (similar to Google’s Firebase Studio today). As the Head of Developer Relations, my mission was clear – build and grow a community of Android developers who could test, give feedback, and shape our product.

So, it was time to roll up my sleeves. I organized virtual and inperson meetups where developers could share their struggles and ideas. We even hosted hackathons, challenging participants to push the tool’s limits and tell us what worked and what didn’t. Week after week, I collected feedback, sifting through every comment and suggestion.

Image:Live session on building the Disco Diwane app during an Android Study Jam in Nagpur.

For four intense months, we listened, iterated, and tried to find product market fit. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, technical roadblocks and limited demand meant we couldn’t go forward. The founders made the tough call to shut down the company. While it wasn’t the happy ending I’d hoped for, this chapter taught me lessons money can’t buy: the value of listening closely to your community, the courage to make hard decisions, and the resilience to keep moving forward.

With these lessons etched in my mind, I was ready for whatever came next.

Crafting the API universe at Apyhub

My next stop was ApyHub, where I joined as the Developer Advocate (early team). ApyHub was building an API Marketplace for both developers and no-code builders – a place where anyone could discover, consume, and Monetize APIs.

I still remember the excitement of helping the team prepare for very first public launch on Product Hunt. Working side by side with Engineering and Marketing, I helped create sample apps, write tutorials in Go and Node.js, and craft blog posts to spread the word. Single-handedly, I produced code examples that developers could copy, tweak, and run immediately.

Every week brought new adventures: I delivered talks on API design, cataloged hundreds of APIs, and explained API specifications in simple terms. We sponsored hackathon tracks that challenged participants to build real projects using our APIs, and rewarded the best ideas.

Image: Delivered session at Google Cloud Community Days in Kolkata, 2023, to an audience of 3,500 developers.

Living in a startup meant wearing many hats. One moment, I was designing microservices used by over 40,000+ developers; the next, I was learning the ins and outs of API gateway, containers, and load balancing – things that require a backend to run smoothly. This hands-on experience deepened my expertise in REST architecture and DevOps practices.

But the heart of my role was listening. Eventually, I became the first responder for our users (paid and free), collecting feedback, identifying what mattered most, and working with the team to make it happen. There’s nothing like seeing a user’s face light up when a tricky bug is fixed, or a feature is added based on their own suggestion.

Through APIs, I also discovered the power of OAuth and identity management. I saw how a few lines of code could secure entire apps and protect user data. It was a revelation that pointed me straight to Okta.

With every sample app, tutorial, and user conversation, my passion for APIs grew stronger. And now, here I am, ready to bring all of that to Okta.

Why Okta?

I’m beyond excited to be at Okta, a place where security isn’t just a department – it’s part of our DNA. Our customers come first, and every decision we make is guided by a single goal: to give people safe, seamless access to the tools they love. Whether you’re a startup building your first app or an enterprise rolling out AI solutions, Okta’s mission is to keep you secure without slowing you down.

Ready to dive in! I’m excited to share my knowledge of APIs and identity, and even more so to learn from this amazing community. Our collective efforts can build a future where technology empowers everyone – securely, effortlessly, and intelligently.

Image: A photo captured on my first day at the Okta Campus in Bengaluru, near my workstation.

A little fun fact about me

Beyond tech, I’m an enthusiastic foodie – especially when it comes to biryani (a mixed rice dish made with rice, meat, and spices). I’ve explored almost every regional variety in India and, according to my friends, I’m quite the cook myself! Connect with me on LinkedIn, and perhaps we can discover the best biryani spots together 🍗🎉.

I’m eager to engage with you all, learn your stories, and build amazing things together at Okta!