Chad Fowler

Chad Fowler is an American author, entrepreneur, and software developer. He is best known for his books, “The Passionate Programmer” and “My Job Went to India.” He was also named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the Software Industry by CIO.com, and is a sought-after public speaker.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Chad was never supposed to become a software developer. He graduated from Rutgers with a degree in economics and philosophy, and after some thought, decided to pursue a career as a professional musician. After a few years touring and playing in various bands, he decided to combine his love of music and technology, by working on the business side of the industry. After relocating to the west coast, he eventually ended up working in web design, which ultimately brought him to the software development business.

Over the years, Chad has had many successes as a software developer. He worked as the CTO for InfoEther, a Ruby on Rails consultancy, before being one of three founders of LocalWork.com, which was acquired in 2001 by Emerging Vision. He also acted as the Chief Architect for Shopzilla, a shopping engine, and has been a Chief Technology Officer of both ObjectSpace and Pivotal Labs. In addition, Chad has consulted on projects for massive companies such as AT&T and Disney.

In his personal time, Chad has created and maintained a number of open source projects, as well as blogs and books. His first, 2006 book, The Passionate Programmer, is about the nuances of making a living in the software industry, and is based upon his philosophy that software engineering should be seen as a career and not just a job. He has also written books on technical topics, such as My Job Went to India, which provides advice to those who may be affected by offshoring, explaining how to stay ahead of the competition.

In addition to his books and other writings, Chad is an advocate for the Ruby programming language, and helps to spread and educate others about its potential. He has organized a number of conferences and programs designed to promote the language, and has earned himself the nickname "The Ruby Evangelist.” Many people have recognized him as one of the major contributors to the Ruby community.

Chad continues to serve as a leader and an excellent example in the future of the software engineering industry. He is an open source software developer, a public speaker, and a writer. His philosophies on software development have been classified as insightful and thought-provoking, and his books have helped shape the success of the industry.