I build things, and try my best to make those things as great as I can.

I'm a Staff Software Engineer at Grafana Labs, where I work AI features and functionality, with a focus on user interface and user experience.

Based on the family ranch in Alberta, Canada 🍁🐴, I hack in Haskell, Typescript, Rust, and C++, trying to eat right and live in balance. When I'm not coding, you might find me watching the northern lights with my kids taking care of the chickens.

• Building and scaling AI interfaces at Grafana Labs (4+ years and counting!)
• Running Pliosoft Corporation - my consulting company since 2014
• Maintaining open-source projects

• Haskell λ - For when elegance matters
• Rust 🦀 - Because proper generics and result enums are non-negotiable
• TypeScript 📘 - Types are great, and javascript is everywhere
• C++ - 7+ years at IBM building compilers taught me a thing or two
• Ruby 💎 - Still holds a special place in my toolkit
• Go - Though I might rage-quit over lack of proper generics...

• Compiler Development - Former IBM compiler architect, worked on C++ and Fortran compilers
• Observability & Monitoring - Making complex systems understandable at Grafana
• Systems Programming - From OS kernels to supercomputer apps
• Full-Stack Development - Websites, mobile apps, and everything in between

• University of Alberta - BSc in Computer Science (2002-2006)
  • Built a Pascal compiler, MIPS pipeline simulator, and Unix OS kernel
  • Almost double-majored in Mathematics
• IBM Canada - Compiler Developer (2006-2014)
  • C++ compiler development and company-wide compiler IL architect
  • Delivered full F2003 language standard support for Fortran compiler

• React Server Components (bye bye REST/GraphQL APIs! JSX on the wire)
• Advanced AI user interface patterns
• Functional programming patterns in production systems

• Building compilers and understanding language internals
• The joy of functional programming in real-world applications
• Why arrow functions shouldn't be used everywhere in JavaScript
• Life on a ranch while working in tech

• Functional programming libraries that actually ship to production
• Developer tools that reduce complexity without adding abstraction layers
• Open-source observability and monitoring solutions

• X (Twitter): @clord
• LinkedIn: christopherlord

"The initial step should be to reduce complexity, cut processes, and narrow the scope. Aim to deliver smaller features more frequently: maintain momentum. Teams should pursue their passions within the project direction - rigidity diminishes motivation and creativity."