Gabe Giro

Fractional Engineering Leadership

I take care of the engineering so you can focus on your business.

Senior engineering leadership, Android expertise, and team mentoring — available for monthly retainer engagements. 12+ years, 150M+ users impacted.

Trusted by teams at Max (HBO), Yahoo, Player FM, and 30+ other companies.

12+
Years of experience
37+
Projects completed
150M+
Users impacted
200+
Developers mentored

Notable clients

Max (HBO)Yahoo FantasyHungerStationPlayer FM Onfido AppRabbit

Case Studies

Real results from real engagements.

Journey RewardsAndroidiOS

Journey Rewards — Stepping In Mid-Flight

Joined as Head of Mobile to take over a cross-platform rewards app from the previous external team. Led 7 contractors across Android and iOS, built internal management from scratch, and gradually handed autonomy back to the engineers while delivering features on both platforms.

Challenge:
Replace an outgoing external mobile team mid-flight on a live KMM-based Android + iOS app, build internal mobile management from scratch, and keep shipping with zero loss of momentum.
Approach:
Audited the codebase before changing anything, kept the strong KMM architecture, retained two engineers from the prior team for continuity, and gradually moved engineers from routing-through-me to direct ownership.
Outcome:
Four-month engagement delivered features on both platforms, established an internal mobile management layer, and left a team that no longer depended on me to function.

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From the blog

Practical writing on engineering leadership, Android, and AI.

Claude Code

Stop Your Claude Code Skill List From Hogging Your Context Window: The Router Pattern

Custom Claude Code skills cost tokens on every turn — even the ones you don't invoke. Here's the router pattern that cut my catalog from 78 skills to 40 without losing a single workflow.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who do you typically work with?

Founders and engineering leaders at early-stage startups and growing teams — mobile-first companies (Android in particular), SaaS, and platforms with an established product. I work remotely with clients worldwide; engagements run async-first with scheduled syncs across timezones.

What services do you offer?

Four core offerings: Fractional CTO (Advisor or Builder retainer), Scalable MVP Sprint (4-week fixed-price build), Lovable Rescue (productized rebuild off Lovable), and Code Review (one-off audits). Each has a dedicated page under /services/ with scope, pricing, and intake forms.

How do engagements start?

Most engagements start with a free 15-minute discovery call to confirm fit. If we move forward, you book the relevant intake form and a paid scoping call follows — by the end of which you have a written plan, a price, and a start date.

Do you write code or only set strategy?

Both. I review PRs, write production code, and pair with your developers. Pure strategy without execution is rarely useful in early-stage companies. The Advisor plan leans strategic; the Builder plan leans delivery; one-off services like Code Review and Scalable MVP Sprint are delivery-first.

How are you different from an agency or a generalist consultant?

You get one senior engineer with 12+ years of experience and 150M+ users impacted at Telegram and Recall, supported by a Claude-driven agent stack — instead of account managers, hand-offs, or junior staff billed at senior rates. One accountable person, senior-level judgement on architecture and team decisions, and the leverage of an agent swarm.

How fast can you start?

Discovery calls are usually scheduled within a few business days of you reaching out. Once an engagement is agreed, retainer work starts the following week and fixed-price sprints (Scalable MVP, Lovable Rescue) start on the next available sprint slot. Active sprint capacity is listed on each service page.

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