14 Bluetooth Experts Ready to Join

Bluetooth has become the invisible glue powering everything from wireless earbuds to industrial IoT networks—and behind this global standard is a dedicated community of experts shaping its future.
From open-source maintainers of core Bluetooth stacks to hardware hackers exposing security flaws, from educators training the next generation to engineers driving protocol standards at Microsoft and Google—these individuals define the Bluetooth ecosystem. Below is a handpicked and ranked list of 14 of the world’s most influential Bluetooth developers, selected for their contributions to open-source projects, startup innovation, Bluetooth SIG involvement, and technical education.
- Johan Hedberg
- Mohammad Afaneh
- Vinayak Chettimada
- Limor “Ladyada” Fried
- Kim Schulz
- Michael Ossmann
- Eric Evenchick
- Ray Keefe
- Travis Goodspeed
- Bernard Aboba
- Pete Warden
- Simone Natale
- Dan Williams
- Rahul Patel
Now, let’s delve into their profiles and contributions:
Johan Hedberg

Nationality: Finnish
Johan Hedberg has been a key open-source Bluetooth developer for over a decade.
He is the long-time maintainer of the Linux Bluetooth (BlueZ) subsystem and currently works on embedded IoT wireless at Silicon Labs. Hedberg’s work on the Linux kernel and Zephyr OS stacks has been critical in advancing Bluetooth support on Linux and embedded platforms. His contributions are foundational to the BLE ecosystem in open-source firmware.
- LinkedIn: Johan Hedberg
- GitHub: jhedberg
Mohammad Afaneh
Nationality: American
Mohammad “Mo” Afaneh is a Bluetooth LE educator and author who has worked with BLE since 2014.
He self-published a popular book Intro to Bluetooth Low Energy and created a widely used BLE video course. He also served as a Developer Relations consultant for the Bluetooth SIG and advises many companies on Bluetooth design. Mo is also the founder of Novel Bits and the Bluetooth Developer Academy, which helps thousands of engineers advance their BLE skills.
- LinkedIn: Mohammad Afaneh
- X (Twitter): @m_afaneh
- GitHub: mafaneh
Vinayak Chettimada
Nationality: Indian
Vinayak Chettimada is a long-time Bluetooth/Wireless specialist.
He holds over 20 years of experience in embedded systems and is responsible for maintaining the Bluetooth Low Energy Controller (link-layer) in the Zephyr RTOS. He has contributed extensively to Nordic’s Bluetooth stack and to the open-source Zephyr project, making him a key figure in BLE firmware development. Vinayak is currently a Principal R&D Engineer at Nordic Semiconductor.
- X (Twitter): @vkchettimada
- GitHub: cvinayak
Limor “Ladyada” Fried
Nationality: American
Limor Fried is an electrical engineer and inventor celebrated in the maker and open-source hardware community.
As head of Adafruit, she has created and promoted many DIY Bluetooth & IoT development kits (e.g. Bluefruit boards). Fried’s leadership and vision in open-source electronics earned her numerous honors (e.g. IEEE Spectrum’s Top Women in Tech) and make her a globally recognized influencer in Bluetooth/IoT education. She has been instrumental in making BLE accessible to students, educators, and hardware developers.
- LinkedIn: Limor Fried
- X (Twitter): @ladyada
- GitHub: ladyada
Kim Schulz
Nationality: Danish
Kim Schulz is a Staff Software Engineer specializing in wireless and Bluetooth technology at Samsung’s Aalborg R&D center.
He works on innovations in Bluetooth radio and Bluetooth standards, and oversees Bluetooth qualification for Samsung. With over 18 years of experience in Bluetooth, he is one of the most seasoned engineers driving Bluetooth architecture and compliance. He is also an active community blogger and speaker.
- LinkedIn: Kim Schulz
- Website/Blog: schulz.dk
Michael Ossmann
Nationality: American
Michael Ossmann invented the Ubertooth One, an open-source Bluetooth sniffer hardware tool, and leads wireless security training.
As the founder of Great Scott Gadgets, he developed widely used hardware for BLE research and education. His Ubertooth project has been pivotal for BLE analysis and security auditing. Michael is also a regular speaker at DEF CON and other security conferences where he trains engineers in Bluetooth reverse engineering.
- X (Twitter): @michaelossmann
- GitHub: mossmann
Eric Evenchick
Nationality: Canadian
Eric Evenchick is known for Bluetooth penetration testing and open-hardware BLE tools.
As Director of Linklayer (security consultancy), he developed BLEKey, a custom Bluetooth Low Energy device for sniffer attacks on access control systems. He writes frequently on Bluetooth vulnerabilities and speaks at Black Hat and DEF CON. Evenchick’s work on BLE security tools has made him a key Bluetooth expert in the cybersecurity community and hardware hacking space.
- LinkedIn: Eric Evenchick
- X (Twitter): @ericevenchick
- GitHub: ericevenchick
Ray Keefe
Nationality: Australian
Ray Keefe has founded multiple Bluetooth-related companies (e.g. RedRat, BleNeXt) and hosts Internet of Things Meetup events.
He is a Bluetooth SIG adopter and writes on BLE applications. His work to promote Bluetooth tech and IoT through startups and education has made him a well-known influencer. Ray is active in the Melbourne embedded systems community and frequently shares practical case studies of BLE deployments across industrial and consumer sectors.
- LinkedIn: Ray Keefe
Travis Goodspeed
Nationality: American
Travis Goodspeed created open-source tools for wireless security including the Bluefruit for BLE hacking and a Bluetooth packet analysis framework.
He’s written books and research papers on Bluetooth security and embedded device exploits. Travis is a respected figure in the reverse engineering and hacking community, known for demystifying BLE communications and exposing critical vulnerabilities. His tools are widely used by BLE security testers.
- X (Twitter): @travisgoodspeed
- GitHub: travisgoodspeed
Bernard Aboba
Nationality: American
Bernard Aboba has long been involved in Bluetooth standardization and implementation at Microsoft, contributing to BLE support on Windows and Xbox.
His deep involvement in the Bluetooth SIG over decades makes him one of the most experienced Bluetooth engineers. Bernard has helped lead protocol-level design and certification efforts, ensuring interoperability across major platforms. His contributions span host stacks, LE Audio, and protocol architecture.
- LinkedIn: Bernard Aboba
- GitHub: aboba
Pete Warden
Nationality: British
Pete Warden is a Google engineer who created the first BLE battery monitor and developed TensorFlow Lite for Microcontrollers with Bluetooth ML support.
He is known for applying machine learning to Bluetooth edge devices, such as low-power sensors and wearables. Pete has authored books, blog posts, and demos that combine BLE, AI, and embedded systems. His work helps developers deploy smart BLE-powered applications with on-device intelligence.
- LinkedIn: Pete Warden
- X (Twitter): @petewarden
- Website/Blog: petewarden.com
Simone Natale
Nationality: Italian
Simone Natale contributed to the Bluetooth Mesh specifications while working at STMicroelectronics.
He is an expert in Bluetooth Mesh networking and Low Power Node (LPN) design. Simone played a key role in implementing ST’s BLE mesh stack and guided developers in building secure, scalable Bluetooth mesh networks. He frequently collaborates with hardware teams to bring mesh connectivity to lighting, smart home, and industrial automation systems.
- LinkedIn: Simone Natale
Dan Williams
Nationality: American
Dan Williams is a Linux kernel engineer who has worked on Android’s Bluetooth stack.
As a Google engineer, he contributes to merging new Bluetooth features into the Linux kernel and Android AOSP. Dan’s work ensures compatibility, power efficiency, and support for emerging BLE features across millions of Android devices. He also maintains tools and libraries that support developers building with Bluetooth on embedded Linux.
- LinkedIn: Dan Williams
- GitHub: djbw
Rahul Patel
Nationality: Indian
Rahul Patel was Chief Technology Officer of the Bluetooth SIG and is an expert in Bluetooth standards and industry adoption.
Now at Microsoft, he continues to influence wireless platform strategy, certification, and technology partnerships. Rahul played a pivotal role in the evolution of Bluetooth 5 and LE Audio. His long-standing involvement with the SIG and major OEMs makes him one of the key architects of modern Bluetooth protocols.
- LinkedIn: Rahul Patel
- X (Twitter): @patel_rahul_g
Wrap Up
These legends represent exceptional talent, making them extremely challenging to headhunt. However, there are thousands of other highly skilled IT professionals available to hire with our help. Contact us, and we will be happy to discuss your hiring needs.
Note: We’ve dedicated significant time and effort to creating and verifying this curated list of top talent. However, if you believe a correction or addition is needed, feel free to reach out. We’ll gladly review and update the page.