about

Hi there. My name is Sam. I’m probably busy right now using a spreadsheet for a hobby project that doesn’t need one. Or walking a dog we named after the second-worst highway in Austin, Mopac.

Blog

I like to learn how to do things, write down what I learned, and share those notes here. However, I spend more time lately writing goofy stories about growing up in in Texas or living in Portugal.

Austin -> Lisbon

I’m an Austinite, but I left my hometown in 2019 to help open Cloudflare’s office in Lisbon, Portugal. What was supposed to be a one year assignment has evolved into an open-ended tenure for me and my family. We like it here and I think you would too - we’re hiring!

Work

I work on the Emerging Technology and Incubation team at Cloudflare. We ship the future that we think our customers will need months and years from now.

I previously spent six years launching, building, and leading the Zero Trust product line at Cloudflare as the VP of Product. You can read more about that journey here.

I also launched our Registrar years ago and miss the bizarre dance of domain registration. I’m sorry — I do not know when we will support the .horse TLD.

Before Cloudflare I spent several years as a Product Manager in the Austin office of ESW Capital. I helped acquire and improve software companies of all sizes through our DevFactory arm. Prior to my time with the ESW Capital group I worked for a medical technology investment firm doing a little bit of everything as we built, bought, and invested in healthcare technology businesses.

School

I studied in the Plan II Program at The University of Texas at Austin. Yes, it is a major in and of itself.

My diploma doesn’t matter at all, though. Where we went to school maybe impacts our first job. I bring it up here because I loved Plan II. The admittedly weird curriculum seems well-equipped to prepare students for whatever oddball form the future will take. I served on the Board of Visitors before I moved to Portugal and I continue to believe that Plan II is a model worth replicating.

You know what else doesn’t really matter? Your grades. I had a perfect GPA in all coursework across every subject and department they sent Plan II students to attend - and the only time that achievement impacts my life is when I wake up in a cold sweat thinking I bombed a test and lost my precious 4.0, something that amuses my wife endlessly. Your grades only count if they become something your spouse enjoys teasing you about.

Inputs and Tools

I keep a current inventory of what I rely on as I go about my day; current roster here.