Info

Let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I'm a software engineer based in Berlin, Germany. I started out as a university drop-out from studying chemistry, which I loved, but not enough after I discovered the world of source code. It seemed more powerful to ask "what is knowledge made of?" than to ask "what is matter made of?". So instead of memorizing chemical element properties, I started off by building my first website, the periodic table of elements.

After some hobbyist baby steps, I plunged into professional life, starting out with ISP hosting and dialup related services as well as doing some minor website design myself. I gave up on ux design because I feel stronger about algorithms than about typefaces. I wrote software that deploys thousands of websites every day for Bayer. I refactored and improved the services around DEPAROM, a German patent service. I co-wrote a peer-to-peer cryptographic filesystem for eternal data preservation in the context of MISSION ETERNITY, an entirely mad project about human memory and the loss thereof. During my stay with IMC, a high frequency trading company, I dramatically accelerated the innovation speed by introducing continuous delivery and deployment on several continents (30+ countries), and thousands of machine in countless data centers. Many cultural and time zone challenges have been a new and welcome addition to my experience.

I love working with smart people on a set of measurable business goals. I am best when I can get my hands dirty and when the team's code can speak for itself. I enjoy going where nobody wants to go. Getting rid of dark and smelly legacy software and processes is rewarding, especially if the business owners see this as a priority! I have fun in international setups, I speak 4-5 languages (depending on how you count) and I don't mind a beer with colleagues.

When I have a free moment, I enjoy training my dog, having fun with my family, and eating. I really love eating, especially the delicious delights served by April.

Here are some of the companies I have had the privilege of working with: