01
Independent
We're not a marketing agency that pivoted into "testing content." No tool earns a good review by paying for one — ever.
About the guild · since 2010
We answer to testers. Nobody else.
TestGuild is an independent community for the people who actually build, script and ship the tests. No vendor spin. No hidden agendas. You decide.
41,000+ testers, automation engineers and QA leads — and counting.
2010
Founded
41K+
Subscribers
600+
Interviews
445K+
YouTube subs
10
Years of Automation Guild
Why we exist
Honest testing content — not a sales pitch.
I started this in 2010 because I couldn't find practitioner-focused testing content that wasn't secretly a sales pitch. Sixteen years later, that's still the whole point. Everything here answers to one group of people: the testers who use it.
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Practitioner-first
Everything comes from people who've actually shipped tests in real CI/CD — not theory, not vendor talking points.
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Transparent
Sponsored content is always clearly labeled. You get the full picture, and you decide for yourself. Full stop.
The business model, out loud
How TestGuild remains independent
Vendors sponsor podcast episodes, webinars, and events. That's the business model and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. Here's the line I hold:
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Sponsored content is labeled as sponsored every time.
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Sponsorship buys access to the audience. It does not buy a recommendation.
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I've had direct competitors on the show in the same month, and I'll keep doing it.
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Tool Matcher doesn't rank by who pays. I've been asked to build it that way and said no.
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If a sponsor's claim doesn't hold up, I'll say so on their own episode.
I don't sell a testing tool. I don't hold equity in one. That's what independent means here, and it's the part I can back up.
What we make
Four ways we show up
Free · practitioner-built
01
The Automation Podcast
589+ interviews with the engineers and framework creators building the tools you use. Longest-running in the space — since 2014.
02
Automation Guild
The annual online conference for automation engineers — a practitioner event, not a vendor showcase. Now in its 10th year.
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The Newsletter
Weekly testing insights direct to your inbox. 41,000+ subscribers keep opening it — free, every week.
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Free tools & guides
The Tool Matcher, Accessibility Scanner, Automation Scorecard and in-depth guides — all built by testers, all free.
05
TestGuild IRL
In-person meetups in cities across the US — testers talking face to face instead of just online.
The people
The guild is its people
The founder, the co-host, and the recurring experts who make the guild what it is — real practitioners with real credentials, not paid spokespeople.
Founder & Host
Joe Colantonio
30+ years in testing · host of the longest-running automation podcast
Co-Host
Chris Trimper
Enterprise automation leader · TestGuild co-host
Jason Huggins
Creator, Selenium & Appium
Andrew Knight
The Automation Panda
Federico Toledo
Co-founder, Abstracta
Julia Pottinger
QA Consultant & Trainer
Nicole van der Hoeven
Developer Advocate
Maria Shalnova
Quality Engineer
Rahul Parwal
Software Test Engineer
Adam Carmi
Automation Architect
Anna Patterson
QA Leader
Chris Sellek
SDET
…plus 589+ expert guests who've shared what actually works on the podcast.
From the founder
"I'm not a marketing agency that pivoted into content. I'm a tester who got obsessed with helping other testers cut through the noise."
Joe Colantonio
Founder & Host · Berklee dropout turned automation architect
1996
Broke into tech
2016
Started Automation Guild
30+
Years in testing
The founder story
I wanted to be a rock guitarist
Seriously. I went to Berklee College of Music chasing that dream. It didn't pan out — turns out the rock and roll lifestyle wasn't exactly what I'd imagined. But what I loved about music — the constant learning curve, the creativity, the need to improvise when things break — translated perfectly into test automation. I've been breaking things on purpose ever since.
In late 2019 I left corporate to run TestGuild full-time. Best decision I ever made. Terrifying at the time. Worth it.
I've interviewed 600+ automation experts on the podcast. I've run Automation Guild since 2017. I've got 25 years of real testing scars to go with the opinions.
I don't pretend to know everything. I'll tell you when something didn't work for me. I'll push back on vendor claims when the evidence doesn't add up. That's the job.
Want to sponsor TestGuild or partner with us? → View the Media Kit
Want to be a guest on the podcast? → Submit a Speaker Request
Community voices
What testers say about the guild
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"Real AI insights, real community — not a product pitch fest. I've been to other conferences. This one's different."
Evie
19 years in software quality
★★★★★
"Inspired me to migrate to Playwright, build AI testing agents, and tackle quality in AI apps. Real ideas I can use."
Xiangwei Li
Sr. SDET at FamilySearch.org
★★★★★
"Got answers in the Q&A, implemented them the next day, and my team is thrilled. Having 1,000+ experts to lean on? Game changer."
Vaclovas Brazdauskas
QA Engineer (3+ years)
Join 41,000+ testers who cut through the noise
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For vendors
Grow your software company with us
Put your tool in front of 41,000+ software professionals who decide what their teams buy.
Applitools Perfecto Keysight Tricentis mabl BlinqIO
"We had the promotion through Joe's newsletter and we actually got 30% of all registrants. I was like, 'We need to partner more with Joe.'"