Carl Youngblood

About Me

I've been working as a software engineer for over twenty years, specializing in highly scalable web services and applications. I'm especially interested in blockchain technology and smart contracts. In addition to my work, I'm passionate about philosophy and the performing arts.

Experience

Sr Solutions Architect, Blockchain
Mar 2019 - May 2021
Provo, UT

I was head of solutions architecture for the Amazon Managed Blockchain service, which helps customers deploy their blockchain networks on Hyperledger Fabric and Ethereum more quickly, with less management overhead. In addition to meeting regularly with customers to help them succeed on our service, I created and oversaw technical content and other training materials for Amazon Managed Blockchain, and I regularly gave workshops to customers and other AWS employees on this material. One recent workshop I built is our Track-and-Trace Supply Chain Workshop. I also led an internal technical field community (TFC) on blockchain, where we cultivate expertise among AWS employees and engage in thought leadership and customer engagement related to blockchain technologies.

Co-Founder
Jul 2017 - Dec 2022
Provo, UT

Blockscale LLC provided highly-available, reliable, and scalable blockchain services for crypto projects. Our most recent success was helping to launch and maintain the network infrastructure for Tezos project. We set up and maintained nodes in the Tezos network and a secure infrastructure for the Tezos Foundation's block producers or bakers. Blockscale was eventually contracted to join Coinbase in exchange for pre-IPO equity in Coinbase. My co-founder, Luke, and I both received offers to join Coinbase and help them launch Coinbase Custody. At the time (pre-pandemic), Coinbase did not look favorably on remote work, and I had just built a house in Utah, so decided to take a job with AWS instead, where I was able to eventually transition to a remote position.

CTO
Oct 2017 - Feb 2019
Mainframe
Lehi, UT

Mainframe is building a platform for fully-decentralized app development. We have launched an ERC-20 compliant cryptographic token, MFT, that is used to incentive participation on our network. A messaging dapp prototype, Onyx, is already available, and our full software bundle for dapp development is scheduled for release in Q1 of 2019. I'm excited to be leading the engineering team in this new phase of our development and helping to provide technological vision and direction.

VP of Engineering
Jul 2016 - Jul 2017
Lehi, UT

Divvy has partnered with card issuers to revolutionize corporate expense management. Instead of collecting receipts after employees spend money, Divvy issues cards, both physical and virtual, in a handy mobile app. The spending constraints on these cards are closely controlled, and receipts are generated automatically from real-time transaction data. The company just launched. I hired and built the engineering team from scratch, and was heavily involved in developing the core product.

Senior Software Engineer
Dec 2015 - Jul 2016
Lehi, UT

Podium helps companies track and improve customer satisfaction using online reviews and other customer interaction tools. When I was hired, they had just been accepted into Y-Combinator's next round. We spent a few months working hard on product improvements out in Mountain View while being mentored as part the YC cohort.

Chief Technology Officer
Aug 2014 - Nov 2015
Orem, UT

The World Table's tools and algorithms enrich online interactions by embedding consensus-based virtue metrics into the web, for individuals, organizations, devices, web locations and more, in a robust and decentralized manner. I directed and helped to build the company's flagship product (a comment plugin with community moderating capabilities) from inception to launch, deciding on the technology stack, setting up automated deployment and testing, issue tracking, and designing the frontend and backend to be Internet-scalable. This project was written primarily in ES5 Javascript using the Google Polymer web component framework and Firebase for real-time data persistence. We also founded the Open Reputation project for blockchain-based reputation solutions.

Senior Engineer
Dec 2009 - Aug 2014
Lysaker, Norway and Reading, England

At Cisco I helped to build a set of web services and web UIs for managing large-scale advanced testing scenarios of Cisco Telepresence endpoints and infrastructure products. In addition to an opportunity to sharpen my technical skills, the nearly five years that I spent abroad in Norway and England were invaluable opportunities to be exposed to different languages, cultures, and different ways of managing projects and doing business.

Founder
Mar 2007 - Dec 2009
Salt Lake City, UT

Confreaks specializes in recording conferences, seminars and workshops, and in providing networking and other technical services to conferences. Our debut event was the recording of MountainWest RubyConf 2007, and we went on to record a number of other conferences, many of which helped to strengthen the Ruby and Agile communities. We developed a unique method for recording and preparing our footage that takes advantage of our programming skills to do things more efficiently than conventional video production companies. I sold my share in the company in December of 2009 when I moved to Norway.

Chief Scientist
May 2007 - Aug 2009
Salt Lake City, UT

Surgeworks is a consulting firm specializing in agile development with offshore teams. During my tenure at Surgeworks, I was in charge of all the company's Rails projects, spending about half my time writing code and architecting software, and the other half managing teams of offshore developers. I managed our projects using agile methods, including developing product backlogs with user stories, fixed-length sprints initiated by sprint planning meetings, daily scrum meetings and sprint retrospectives.

Chief Technology Officer
Jan 2006 - May 2007
Salt Lake City, UT

I managed the IT infrastructure and internal software development projects of Construction Capital Source, a construction lending company with offices throughout the Intermountain West. I provided strategic technical expertise to the company's executives, and developed customized software solutions that gave them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. My primary focus was the development of a loan management system built in Ruby on Rails.

Embedded Software Engineer
Mar 2004 - Jan 2006
Seattle, Washington

At Boeing I was a member of the Information Assurance team for a subproject under the Department of Defense's Future Combat Systems project. My team was responsible for designing and implementing a security API that provides authentication, data integrity, confidentiality and non-repudiation capabilities to other services in the FCS operating environment.

Software Engineer
Jan 2001 - May 2002
Orem, Utah

NT driver development (Windows NT, 2000 and XP) for partition mirroring software. Worked specifically with the network level of mirroring, developing a TDI client driver for Windows 2000. Also developed a Windows Registry filter driver. Was retained for a period of six months after office closure to help hand off projects to company's other offices.

Manager of Strategic Projects
Mar 2000 - Dec 2000
Orem, Utah

Provided technical expertise to the CTO. Investigated the feasibility of new technologies and software methodologies, analyzing their impact on the development cycle, software performance, and the bottom line. Conducted competitor analysis. Developed and improved standards of software development. Managed company patents. Coded prototypes for experimental projects.

Senior Software Engineer
May 1999 - Feb 2000
Orem, Utah

Helped architect a fully-scalable web analytics engine based on commodity hardware that handles billions of requests daily. Developed web applications using PHP, HTML/CSS, Javascript, Java, C++ and MySQL on Linux/Apache web servers. Involved in product development from conceptual phase all the way through design, implementation, and testing. Promoted to Manager of Strategic Projects.

Software Engineer
Jun 1997 - Dec 1998
Provo, Utah

Developed applications for in-classroom learning system, including Windows 95 drivers, and Windows applications in MFC. Served as programming team lead in certification department.

Education

MS, Computer Science, PMP
June 2006
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington

GPA 3.70

Graduate studies, Computer Science
1.5 years of attendance
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah

Left CS Masters Program at BYU to accept position at Boeing and transfer to the University of Washington Professional Masters Program in Computer Science.

BA, Portuguese, Music Minor, Computer Science Minor Equivalent
Aug 2002
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah

Major GPA 3.90. Cumulative GPA 3.61.

Affiliations and Awards

Speaker
AWS re:Invent 2019: "Architecting a decentralized Ethereum app (dapp) on AWS"
Speaker
Speaker
Led several workshops at the AWS Popup Loft
Guest Lecturer
Brigham Young University 2019 CIO Series
Guest Lecturer
Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business
Guest Lecturer
University of Utah ACM Chapter
Speaker
Speaker
Speaker
Organizer and Contributor
Co-Founder
OpenReputation, a decentralized blockchain-based reputation system
Speaker and Organizer
Member and Contributor
Speaker and Organizer
Open Source Project Author
Speaker
Member and Contributor
Member and Contributor
GIAC Security Essentials Certification
Accredited Portuguese Translator
Open Source Contributor
Director and Vice President
Undergraduate Research Award
Advanced Placement Scholar
Computer Science (perfect score), English (perfect score), and European History.
Sterling Scholar, Music

Conferences and Workshops

AWS re:Invent 2020
AWS re:Invent 2019
RubyConf 2006
RailsConf 2006
Building of Basecamp, Seattle 2005
SANS Security Essentials Bootcamp 2004
OSR Advanced Driver Development 2001

Skills and Hobbies