Role Model Interview vol.46 Paul McMahon
Women in Technology Japan (WITJ)’s mission is to close the gender gap in tech and promote diversity and inclusion in Japan. We inspire, connect and empower women across all industries.
This interview series highlights influential leaders who inspire and empower others by sharing their passion, insights, and personal journeys.
In this edition, we feature an inspiring story of Paul McMahon. A Canada-born serial entrepreneur and founder of TokyoDev. Also active in advocating for greater diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.
Q1. Can you briefly introduce yourself?
I’m the founder of TokyoDev, which started as my personal blog and eventually grew into a job board that helps connect international software developers with Japanese companies.
I originally came to Japan on a working holiday after graduating with a degree in computer science. I was drawn to Japan because while it seemed culturally very different from Canada, it was still safe and socioeconomically similar. It seemed like an adventure I could handle.
Q2. Exciting! How did you start your career journey in Japan?
Soon after I arrived in 2006, I was fortunate to find an opportunity in Japan at a startup that hired software developers who didn’t speak Japanese or have professional experience. The startup was a great place to work as a developer, and I picked up some great experience. But after a couple of years, it became clear to me that the startup was going to fail, and so I left it.
With some colleagues from the startup, I co-founded a consulting company that focused on helping international companies build mobile web applications for Japan.
And there, one of our side projects became Doorkeeper, an event management solution that eventually spun out into its own company. In 2021, I decided to sell Doorkeeper and shift my focus to TokyoDev, which by that point was beginning to take off as a business.
Q3. I’m a TokyoDev blog fan too. Amazing articles and insights. How did TokyoDev grow from a blog to a job board?
TokyoDev grew very organically. At first, the blog focused on answering common questions from international software developers who were interested in working in Japan. As the audience grew, I started compiling a mailing list of job opportunities, and it quickly became clear that it was creating real value—people were actually getting hired through it. Once I heard companies were having success with the mailing list, I decided to start charging for it. Eventually the blog turned into a profitable business that I’ve been running for over 15 years.
— That’s amazing, creating a fan base and a community at the same time!
Actually, I was also very involved in the Japanese developer community, particularly the Ruby community. I even started my own event, the Tokyo Rubyist Meetup, with the goal of bridging the gap between Japanese Ruby developers and those in the rest of the world. As part of that, I attended many Japanese developer events, and wanted to share what was happening at them, so I wrote up reports of them and shared them as some of my first blog articles
Q4. Are there any challenges or difficulties you’ve faced during your early entrepreneurial journey?
One of the biggest challenges is ambiguity—especially knowing when to give up and move on. Doorkeeper is a good example. For the first seven years it never generated enough revenue to pay a salary. Eventually I was able to take it to the point where it could pay me decently, but financially, it was never a major success for me. Despite this though, we had people who genuinely liked and used the product, and during the period it wasn’t making money for me, it was growing rapidly, so it always felt like there was potential for it.
In the end, what drove me to sell it was when my second child was born. Running two businesses and taking care of two children didn’t seem like something that I could realistically do. In retrospect, I’m glad that I moved on, and one of the benefits of having children is it forces you to make hard decisions about what really is important.
Q5. Talking about managing business and family responsibilities. What’s your key to make it work?
It’s quite challenging to balance work and family responsibilities. It was important to me that I fully share childcare responsibilities with my wife, and so I needed to accept that I wouldn’t be able to do as much professionally as if I didn’t have children.
But as an entrepreneur, you always have more you want to accomplish than time you have. Having children may have decreased the time I have to work on my business, but it has also helped me focus on working on what is actually important.
Q6. Thank you for sharing. You’re deeply involved in supporting diversity and inclusion, including your support with Women in Technology Japan. What drives that commitment?
The right to gender equality was something I always took as a given growing up—both my mother and grandmother were strong feminists. But I didn’t actually take any action myself until TokyoDev’s annual survey showed a clear salary gap—women were earning less than men, even when controlling for experience. Seeing that disparity in our own data made it impossible to ignore.
The simplest way of doing something was to support organizations that are already doing the work, like Women in Technology Japan and Waffle etc.
Q7. Thank you for always supporting us! It means a lot to us. What’s your memorable moment in supporting organizations like us?
Through TokyoDev’s sponsorship of Waffle – a Japan-based NPO working to close the gender gap in STEM, one of my colleagues’ daughters joined the Technovation Girls program—and her team was selected out of 90 of them to win the grand prize. Before this program, it didn’t even occur to her that it was an option to work in tech, but now, I see the potential for her to become a future leader in the industry.
— I see leadership less as a title and more as a responsibility to act.
Q8. That’s fantastic! How would you describe your leadership style and values?
I’ve never set out to be a leader in the traditional sense. My approach has always been to step up when there’s a problem to solve and then bring others into the process. I see leadership less as a title and more as a responsibility to act.
I try to treat all my colleagues as peers—taking the time to understand what motivates them, what they need, and making sure working together is enjoyable. This kind of supportive leadership naturally brings out the best in people.
Q9. That’s wonderful! Lastly, any message for the Women in Technology community?
I’m really glad a community like this exists. While TokyoDev has sponsored it, the heart of it is the organizers and members who put in the work and support one another. Since I first came to Japan in 2006, it’s been encouraging to see real progress being made. There’s still more to do though, so I want to continue supporting this community going forward.
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