Zach Schwitzky
Zachary Schwitzky | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 (age 40–41) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | computer security expert |
| Known for | commuting from New Jersey to New York by kayak |
Zachary Schwitzky is an American computer security expert.[1] He is also known for his rare choice of commuter vehicle.[2][3] Schwitzky, who lives in Hoboken, NJ, paddles a kayak to work - weather permitting.[4]
Academic career
[edit]Schwitzky earned a bachelor's degree at San Diego State University, where he played on the college's baseball team.[2] He went on to study at Seton Hall University.[5]
Computer career
[edit]Schwitzky founded Newlio, a market research firm, in 2012.[2][3][5]
Schwitzky would later found Limbik, a firm that uses artificial intelligence to analyze video.[6] Customers who monitor their users' video watching use Limbik's software to automatically classify video recordings. Limbik's customers use Limbik's classifications to serve users new videos that Limbik's software predicts they will like. Limbik's software's analysis performs facial recognition on the videos. CNN quoted Schwitzky briefly summarizing how tricky it could be to determine the gender of individuals through watching video. Schwitzky told CNN that his firm's software had been trained to classify some individuals as "non-binary".
By 2020, Schwitzky was recognized as an expert in computer security.[1] When Ali Soufan, the counter-terrorism expert, and founder of The Soufan Group, became the target of an online hate campaign, Schwitzky was one of the experts hired to analyze the attacks.[7] The New Yorker magazine quoted Schwitzky's conclusions that the attacks on Soufan bore all the signs of an organized conspiracy, and confirmed that he was being targeted by many of the same attackers who targeted Adnan Khashoggi, before his assassination.
References
[edit]- ^ a b
Dexter Filkins (2020-07-16). "Is the Saudi Government Plotting Against Another U.S.-Based Critic?". The New Yorker magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
Records show that at least five of them had interacted with Khashoggi's account before his murder. Soufan's team also identified thirty-seven accounts that retweeted or liked postings critical of both Khashoggi and Soufan. "These are the classic signs of a state-supported campaign," Zachary Schwitzky, one of the experts whom Soufan hired to examine the data, said.
- ^ a b c
Mike Frassinelli (2012-05-21). "How to beat the morning commute: For 2 N.J. men, it's by kayak". The Star-Ledger. Hoboken, NJ. Archived from the original on 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
Baseball teammates 11 years ago at San Diego State University under hitting legend Tony Gwynn, the friends reunited three months ago when Schwitzky, co-founder and the mind behind Newlio, brought on Barber as a campaign manager.
- ^ a b
Thomas Berman (2012-11-08). "Man Commutes to New York City by Kayak". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
The founder of the tech start-up Newlio, Schwitzky can leave the boat in the foyer of the company's office. He's the boss, so no one objects.
- ^
Sophie Eastaugh (2016-11-01). "Zach Schwitzky: The New Yorker who kayaks to work". CNN. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
Living in Hoboken, New Jersey, the other side of the Hudson river to Manhattan, Schwitzky kayaks across the water in around 20 minutes.
- ^ a b
"Millennial entrepreneurs and student debt: It's complicated". NBC. 2020-05-19. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
Despite having USD12,000 in undergraduate debt from Seton Hall University, Schwitzky, then 29, launched Newlio, a New York City-based market research company. The start-up creates customer surveys for big clients including McDonald's and Hilton.
- ^
Rachel Metz (2019-11-21). "AI software defines people as male or female. That's a problem". CNN Business. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
But Limbik CEO Zach Schwitzky said his company has 'struggled with binary classification.'
- ^
"Former FBI agent Ali Soufan fears Saudi government is targeting him: Report". Middle East Eye. 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
Zachary Schwitzky, one of the experts hired by the Soufan Group to examine data collected about the Twitter accounts attacking the men, said the information recovered showed "classic signs of a state-supported campaign", according to the New Yorker.