Jeff Atwood
{{Short description|American software developer (born 1970)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jeff Atwood
| image = Long Zheng, Dan Rigsby, Jeff Atwood (2979598012).jpg
| caption = Jeff Atwood in 2008
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1970}}
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| known_for = Coding Horror (blog), Stack Overflow, Stack Exchange
| alma_mater = University of Virginia
| occupation = Software developer, writer
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Jeff Atwood (born 1970) is an American software developer, author, blogger, and entrepreneur. He co-founded the question-and-answer network Stack Exchange, which contains the Stack Overflow website for computer programming questions.{{Cite magazine |last=Finley |first=Klint |title=Stack Overflow Man Remakes Net One Answer at a Time |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/07/stackoverflow-jeff-atwood/ |access-date=2025-01-14 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}} He is the owner and writer of the computer programming blog Coding Horror, focused on programming and human factors.{{Cite web |last=Kumparak |first=Greg |date=2013-08-28 |title=StackOverflow Co-Founder Jeff Atwood Builds A $150 Mechanical Keyboard |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/27/stackoverflow-co-founder-jeff-atwood-builds-a-150-keyboard-for-coders-and-others-who-type-all-day/ |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} As of 2012, his most recent project was Discourse, an open source Internet discussion platform.
In a 2007 blog post, Atwood proposed the following rule related to the rule of least power, calling it Atwood's law:{{Cite web |title=Jeff Atwood on Empowering Programmers and Digital Communities |url=https://semaphoreci.com/blog/jeff-atwood |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Semaphore |language=en-US}} "Any application that can be written in JavaScript, will eventually be written in JavaScript".{{cite web |last1=Atwood |first1=Jeff |title=The Principle of Least Power |url=https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-principle-of-least-power/ |website=Coding Horror|access-date=October 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305105545/http://blog.codinghorror.com/the-principle-of-least-power |archive-date=March 5, 2014 |date=July 17, 2007 |quote=I propose a corollary to this rule [the rule of least power], which{{nbsp}}... I'll call Atwood's Law: any application that can be written in JavaScript, will eventually be written in JavaScript. |url-status=live}}
Career
File:Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood present at MIX09 (3365546017).jpg and Jeff Atwood at MIX 2009]]
Atwood started a programming blog, Coding Horror, in 2004. As a result, he met Joel Spolsky.{{Cite web |last=Rosoff |first=Matt |title=Online communities don't have to be hate-filled cesspools — and this guy proved it |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/joel-spolsky-stack-exchange-interview-2016-12 |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} In 2008, together with Spolsky, Atwood founded Stack Overflow, a programming question-and-answer website.{{Cite magazine |last=Somers |first=James |date=2023-10-05 |title=How Will A.I. Learn Next? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/how-will-ai-learn-next |access-date=2025-01-14 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}} The site was followed by Server Fault for system administrators and Super User for general computer-related questions, eventually becoming the Stack Exchange network which includes many Q&A websites about topics decided on by the community.{{cite web |title=State of Programming with Jeff Atwood |url=http://softwareengineeringdaily.com/2016/03/14/state-programming-jeff-atwood/ |website=Software Engineering Daily|date=March 15, 2016 }}
From 2008 to 2014, Atwood and Spolsky published a weekly podcast covering the progress on Stack Exchange and a wide range of software development issues. Jeff Atwood was also a keynote presenter at the 2008 Canadian University Software Engineering Conference.{{cite web |title=Is Writing More Important Than Programming? |url=http://2008.cusec.net/archives.html |work=Archive of Previous Presentations |publisher=CUSEC |access-date=October 27, 2013 |date=2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185918/http://2008.cusec.net/archives.html |archive-date=October 29, 2013}}
In February 2012, Atwood left Stack Exchange so he could spend more time with his family.{{cite web |title=Jeff Atwood bids adieu to Stack Exchange for the best reason ever |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/02/07/jeff-atwood-bids-adieu-to-stack-exchange-for-the-best-reason-ever/ |work=techcrunch.com |publisher=AOL |date=February 7, 2012}}
On February 5, 2013, Atwood announced his new company, Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc. Its flagship product is an open source next-generation discussion platform called Discourse.{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/05/jeff-atwood-launches-discourse/ |title=Stack Exchange Co-Founder Jeff Atwood Launches Forums Startup Discourse, With Funding From First Round, Greylock, And SV Angel |last1=Ha |first1=Anthony |date=February 5, 2013 |work=TechCrunch |publisher=AOL |access-date=February 8, 2013}} Atwood and others developed it out of their frustration with current bulletin board software that hadn't seemed to evolve since 1990.{{cite web |url=http://blog.codinghorror.com/civilized-discourse-construction-kit |work=Coding Horror |title=Civilized Discourse Construction Kit |last1=Atwood |first1=Jeff |date=February 5, 2013 |access-date=February 8, 2013}} On February 1, 2023, he stepped down as CEO and assumed the role of Executive Chairman.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-31 |title=Sam Saffron and Sarah Hawk named Discourse Co-CEOs |url=https://blog.discourse.org/2023/01/sam-saffron-and-sarah-hawk-named-discourse-co-ceos/ |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=Discourse |language=en}}
He also launched a mechanical keyboard called CODE in 2013.{{cite web |url=http://blog.codinghorror.com/the-code-keyboard |work=Coding Horror |title=The CODE Keyboard |last1=Atwood |first1=Jeff |date=August 27, 2013 |access-date=August 29, 2013}}
In 2021, Stack Overflow was sold to Prosus for $1.8 billion.Dummett, Ben (June 2, 2021).[https://www.wsj.com/articles/software-developer-community-stack-overflow-sold-to-tech-giant-prosus-for-1-8-billion-11622648400 Stack Overflow Sold to Tech Giant Prosus for $1.8 Billion. Deal is Prosus’ biggest investment in online learning and comes weeks after it sold a chunk from its massive Tencent holding]. Wall Street Journal.
Philanthropy
In January 2025, Atwood announced one million dollar gifts to eight non-profit organizations,Stiffman, Eden (January 16, 2025). [https://www.philanthropy.com/article/a-new-giving-pledge-tech-mogul-promises-accelerated-donations A New Giving Pledge? Tech Mogul Promises Accelerated Donations. Inspired by MacKenzie Scott and critical of the Buffett-Gates pact, the co-founder of Stack Overflow and Discourse is giving away half his wealth in five years.] The Chronicle of Philanthropy.Atwood, Jeff (January 7 2025). [https://blog.codinghorror.com/stay-gold-america/ Stay Gold, America].
including The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-07 |title=Stack Overflow Co-Founder Jeff Atwood Donates $1 Million to The Trevor Project |url=https://www.thetrevorproject.org/blog/stack-overflow-co-founder-jeff-atwood-donates-1-million-to-the-trevor-project/ |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=The Trevor Project |language=en-US}} In addition, Children’s Hunger Fund, First Generation Investors, Global Refuge, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, PEN America, Planned Parenthood, and Team Rubicon received donations from Atwood and his family.
Atwood and his family have contributed to Alameda Post and the Alameda Food Bank.
Atwood donated $1.5 million to 404 Media, a nonprofit news site.
Personal
Atwood is a resident of Alameda, California. He and his partner, Betsy Burton, have three kids.
Books
- The ASP.NET 2.0 Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks, by Scott Allen, Jeff Atwood, Wyatt Barnett, Jon Galloway and Phil Haack. {{ISBN|978-0980285819}}
- Effective Programming: More Than Writing Code. {{ISBN|9781478300540}}
References
External links
{{Portal|Biography}}
- [https://blog.codinghorror.com/about-me/ Profile on Coding Horror]
{{Fog Creek Software}}
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