Sean Calarco lives in Boston and is currently a Director of Software Engineering at Reddit. Before Reddit, Sean spent time as a Director of platform at Handshake and before that at the Predictive Index. Prior to PI, Sean spent seven years at Wayfair, where he started as a software engineering intern and grew with the company into an Associate Director of Engineering. During his time at Wayfair, Sean helped lead the creation of the Wayfair Delivery Network, a proprietary logistics and transportation service specializing in the delivery of big and bulky goods. Before Wayfair, Sean was studying Computer Science and Philosophy at Boston University.
From a young age, Sean has been fascinated with technology. Like so many programmers he first became enamored with video games, sinking countless hours into Math Blaster on the family computer as a young child. That obsession evolved as he built his first personal computer and delved into the internal world of bash and macros and the external world wide web. Sean’s earliest programs included – choose your own adventure CLI video games, several personal websites built on PHP4, and a 32mb flash drive filled with a host of malicious scripts, including a keylogger he had his high school account suspended over. Luckily, Sean grew out of his hacker phase and focused his learning on computer science and web development.
Outside of Software, Sean has a broad range of hobbies and a handful of fun facts about himself.
- Sean has worked a handful of random jobs and engaged in other entrepreneurial pursuits since a young age. As a child, Sean sold paper air planes, homemade comic books, and Pokémon cards to other kids on the playground. At 14, Sean got his first job as a swimming instructor and at 16 became a lifeguard. In High School Sean also found opportunities to sell video games he made as well as t-shirts to other students. In college, Sean worked jobs ranging from movie theatre concessions to serving, bar-backing at a night club, and catering.
- Sean’s love of video games has been lifelong. In high school Sean ran a gaming community called Titan Special Forces with membership of close to one hundred gamers from around the world. In college and as a young adult Sean played Super Smash Brothers Melee semi-professionally. Competing in tournaments around the greater Boston area (his main character is princess peach!). These days Sean has played more casually, but can be found picking up one random rpg game or another most nights.
- Sean has studied Martial Arts since he was a young child and boasts a Second Dan black belt in Hapkido. He has also studied Kung Fu and Shotokan karate and in college spent weekends at the gym sparring in an MMA club
- Powerlifting became one of Sean’s recent favorite activities, he boasts personal records of 300lb bench press, 445lb squat, and 495lb deadlift.