The long version

Alex Merced's Story in Chapters

The homepage tells the story in one scroll. These pages take it one period at a time, with the dates, names, and sources for each. For quick facts, headshots, and short bios, use the press kit on alexmerced.com.

  1. Chapter 1 · 1985 to 2003

    Early Life in Hartford, Connecticut (1985 to 2003)

    Alex Merced was born in Hartford, Connecticut on June 30, 1985. A technical high school, RPG Maker, and Geocities fan sites started his path into technology.

  2. Chapter 2

    Music and Songwriting

    Alex Merced's music, from trombone and guitar to self-taught electronic production, and how he now uses AI to hear full productions of songs he wrote years ago.

  3. Chapter 3 · 2003 to 2007

    College at Bowling Green State University (2003 to 2007)

    From 2003 to 2007 Alex Merced studied Marketing and Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University, ran promotions at WBGU-FM, and started two businesses.

  4. Chapter 4 · 2008 to 2019

    Teaching Finance and Economics in New York City (2008 to 2019)

    After college Alex Merced moved to New York City and spent more than a decade at Greico Financial Training teaching economics and finance to professionals.

  5. Chapter 5 · 2013 to 2019

    Public Service and Politics (2013 to 2019)

    Alex Merced ran for office in New York three times, was the 2016 Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate, and was elected Vice Chair of the Libertarian National Committee in 2018.

  6. Chapter 6 · 2019 to 2021

    From Finance to Software Development (2019 to 2021)

    In 2019 Alex Merced left finance training for software: General Assembly's bootcamp and then its classroom, agency work at Crossfield Digital, and a YouTube web development masterclass.

  7. Chapter 7 · 2021 to present

    Developer Relations at Dremio (2021 to Present)

    Alex Merced joined Dremio in 2021 and is now Head of Developer Relations, teaching Apache Iceberg, Apache Polaris, and the open lakehouse through talks, courses, and writing.

  8. Chapter 8 · 2024 to present

    Books and Authorship (2024 to Present)

    Alex Merced co-authored O'Reilly's Apache Iceberg and Apache Polaris definitive guides, wrote Manning's Architecting an Apache Iceberg Lakehouse, and publishes independent books.