Alex architects the software that runs 23andMe (Python / C++ / Linux / Apache / MySQL) and manages the engineering team. He’s committed to finding the best ways to quickly build simple, scalable products (we’ve had 11 on-time releases in one year). He’s also a bit of a security freak. When hockey season rolls around, he organizes trips to go see the Sharks play.

Alex on the 23andMe Service:

“I am fortunate not to have had any significantly alarming results turn up in My Health and Traits, but if I did, I would certainly want to know! I love the wealth of information that the site puts at my fingertips.”

“A couple of random interesting tidbits: my paternal haplogroup (R1a1) is common in Eastern Europe, which makes sense since that’s where I come from. But it originated in south-central Asia and is very common in Indians. I would have never guessed! Also, my brother and I are not good matches for organ donation – we don’t happen to share the MHC region on chromosome 6.”

Alex on Being a 23andMe Employee:

“I was the first engineer at 23andMe. I feel incredibly lucky that I had the opportunity to take everything I learned in four years at PayPal and apply it here in order to make it a great company to work for. It’s an awesome and humbling experience at the same time.”

“This is a cliché, but I love working on something that could make the world a better place. 23andMe is a perfect fit for me. We are trying to revolutionize how we understand and use our genetic blueprints. The combination of hard science and research with a consumer focus is tough to beat.”

“The people and the culture are great. However cheesy it may sound, I look forward to going to work in the morning.”


Think you’d like to join our team? Check out our jobs page!

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