From Diplomacy to OTP: Mackenzie Morgan's Path to Erlang and Elixir

Elixir em Foco

In this episode of Elixir in Focus, part of the SE4FP 2025 warm-up series, host Adolfo Neto welcomes Mackenzie Morgan, a senior backend engineer at Level All. Mackenzie shares her journey into technology, which began with a focus on Japanese and International Affairs at university. She recounts how the "siren song of the computer lab" and a scheduling conflict between an algorithms class and a Japanese class ultimately led her to a computer science degree — a path she had already begun exploring through her contributions to the Ubuntu project as an undergraduate.

Mackenzie describes herself like this:

“I'm a programmer who writes Elixir and Erlang. Former Ubuntu developer. I enjoy languages, Argentine tango (especially queer tango!), historic costuming, and photography. Washington Spirit & USWNT fan ⚽.”

Website: https://wandering.shop/@maco

🎥 Original livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuA5XwGWnqE
🌐 Elixir em Foco website: https://elixiremfoco.com/index_en.html

The Erlang Ecosystem Foundation supports the Elixir em Foco podcast by funding the software we use to record the episodes. The Erlang Ecosystem Foundation is a non-profit organization supported by over 1,000 members who embrace its model of collaborative Working Groups and community-building events. EEF members include industry leaders dedicated to advancing the state of the art for Erlang, Elixir, LFE, and other BEAM-based technologies.

👉 Join the Erlang Ecosystem Foundation: https://bit.ly/3Sl8XTO