Michael Tiemann is an open-source pioneer and seasoned technology leader with over three decades of experience building and commercializing free software, from founding Cygnus Solutions to shaping Red Hat’s open source strategy as VP of Open Source Affairs. He now applies that deep technical and policy expertise to climate and startup ecosystems—leading projects at OS-Climate and mentoring Kiwi startups at the Ministry of Awesome—while also running a carbon-neutral recording studio. His work bridges engineering, governance, and market strategy, with a track record of launching industry-defining open source business models and large collaborative data initiatives debuted at forums like COP26. Based in Wellington, he combines academic rigor from Stanford and Penn with hands-on product and community leadership, and maintains unexpected pursuits such as a second-degree blackbelt in To-Shin Do Ninjutsu.
5 years of coding experience
15 years of employment as a software developer
BS Computer Science and Engineering, BS Computer Science and Engineering at University of Pennsylvania
2nd-Degree Blackbelt To-Shin Do Ninjutsu, 2nd-Degree Blackbelt To-Shin Do Ninjutsu at Chapel Hill Quest Center
Ph. D Candidate Electrical Engineering, Ph. D Candidate Electrical Engineering at Stanford University
Contributions:82 pushes, 7 branches in 1 year 3 months
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Michael Tiemann - Startup Mentor at Manifold Recording