Ethan Arrowood

Optimizing Systems, Organizing Communities, Overcoming Summits

Ethan standing with his late dog, Lincoln, over his shoulders (in a fireman carry). The background is a scenic summer day with a dirt trail, mountain peaks, trees, and other rocks and shrubs too.

Highlights

Summary

I am Head of Open Source Engineering at Harper, where I led the company's transition from a closed-source product to an open-source-first platform. This means owning the dual-license model (Apache 2.0 core with a source-available pro tier), building contribution procedures, and growing a developer community grounded in trust and transparency.

Outside of Harper, I am a Node.js core contributor and Undici maintainer. I represent the Node.js and JavaScript ecosystem in the OpenJS Foundation and WinterTC (ECMA TC55), where I work on standards and community development for web-interoperable runtimes. I have spoken at JSConf NA and NodeConf EU.

Previous roles include Senior Software Engineer at Vercel, where I worked on the core build platform and contributed performance improvements to Next.js, and Software Engineer II at Microsoft, where I built enterprise Azure solutions for large partners. Outside of work, I am a certified ski instructor at Breckenridge, a Protect Our Winters member, and a volunteer with outdoor education programs in Summit County, Colorado. I care about climate and environmental stewardship, and I am particularly drawn to working with companies building in that space. I take on select consulting engagements through Alpine Moose Innovations and am open to early-stage investing conversations. Reach me at ethan@arrowood.dev .

Talks

Upcoming

Past Talks

YouTube playlist of all my talks

Book me as a speaker

I speak at conferences and events on open source sustainability, Node.js, web standards, and developer community building. If you're organizing an event and think there's a fit, reach out at ethan@arrowood.dev.

Consulting & Investing

I take on select consulting engagements through Alpine Moose Innovations . My focus areas are open source program development, API and SDK engineering, Node.js performance, and developer experience. I work best with technical founders and engineering teams that need a senior practitioner for a defined scope, not a generalist agency.

I am especially drawn to climate tech, clean energy, and environmental companies. I grew up in the mountains, I see climate change reshaping the places I love, and I want to put my technical background to work in that space. If you are building there, reach out even if the scope is not fully defined.

I am also exploring early-stage angel investing, with a focus on climate, green energy, and developer tooling. If you are raising and think there is a fit, I am happy to have a conversation. Contact me at ethan@arrowood.dev .

Experience

  1. Harper - Head of Open Source Engineering

    August 2024 - Present

    1. Leading Harper's transition from a closed-source product to an open-source-first platform, including strategy, community, and business model.
    2. Architected a dual-license model: Apache 2.0 core with a source-available pro tier, balancing community openness and commercial sustainability.
    3. Built contribution infrastructure: governance docs, issue triage workflows, and contributor onboarding to support a growing developer community.
    4. Representing Harper in the OpenJS Foundation and WinterTC (ECMA TC55), contributing to Node.js ecosystem and JavaScript interoperability standards.
    5. Created the Harper Plugin API , simplifying the extension model while expanding its capabilities.
    6. Led development of major front-end framework integrations including Next.js and Astro, and an integrated GraphQL engine.
    7. Replatformed the documentation site, improving accessibility and developer experience velocity.
    8. Using high-performance Node.js and C++ to optimize core product performance.

  2. Alpine Moose Innovations - Founder & Consultant

    June 2024 - Present

    1. Independent consulting practice focused on open source strategy, API and SDK engineering, Node.js performance, and modern web application development.
    2. Advising startups and technical teams on architecture decisions, developer experience, and open source program development.
    3. Particularly interested in working with climate tech and green energy companies where software infrastructure can accelerate the energy transition.
    4. Open to early-stage investing conversations in climate, clean energy, and developer tooling.

  3. Vercel - Senior Software Engineer

    February 2022 - June 2024

    1. Maintained Vercel's core build platform supporting numerous runtimes, package managers, and frameworks
    2. Led development of the configuration override feature enabling finer control of Vercel deployments
    3. Created the Vercel Azure DevOps Extension enabling improved CI/CD for enterprise customers
    4. Developed a comprehensive e2e testing suite for the zero config build pipeline
    5. Represented company at multiple open source organizations including OpenJS Foundation, WinterCG, and TC39
    6. Contributed multiple performance improvements to the Next.js framework, notably improving streaming throughput by 20%
    7. Created the experimental Next.js Test Mode feature for built in e2e testing

  4. Codecademy - Subject Matter Expert

    May 2021 - January 2024

    1. Subject Matter Expert for multiple courses and curriculums
    2. Courses: Node.js, WebSockets, and Build Tools
    3. Curriculums (career paths): Full Stack, Front-End, and Back-End

  5. Digital Ready - Computer Science Professional Advisor & Board Member

    January 2020 - December 2022

    1. Provided professional experience and feedback for the development of the AP CS and Year 13 curriculums
    2. Conducted professional development workshops for the AP Computer Science Cohort (March 2021)

  6. Microsoft - Software Engineer II

    November 2019 - January 2022

    1. Worked alongside Microsoft's largest partners, creating innovative solutions to solve real business challenges
    2. Exercised strong engineering fundamentals such as agile development, CI/CD, testing, and pair programming
    3. Built enterprise solutions utilizing many unique Azure services and modern cloud engineering toolsets

  7. Wentworth Institute of Technology - B.S. Computer Science

    September 2016 - August 2019

    1. Achieved Dean's List in all full-time semesters demonstrating continuous academic excellence
    2. Earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and an Applied Mathematics Minor
    3. Earned Presidential Award for Academic Excellence and Co-Curricular Involvement
    4. Member of ΦΣΠ National Honors Fraternity
    5. 2x Wentworth Professional Development Grant Recipient
    6. Participated in Wentworth Leadership Institute Phase 1 & 2
    7. Vice President of Wentworth Computer Science Society

    1. Microsoft - Software Engineering Intern

      July 2018 - December 2018

      1. Software Engineering intern on the Commercial Software Engineering team
      2. Worked with various technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, JavaScript (Node.js & React), Python (Flask), and Azure Cloud Platform

    2. GitHub Campus Expert

      June 2018 - August 2019

      1. Taught students how to use Git and the GitHub platform
      2. Mentored individuals making their first open source contributions

    3. Griffith University - Study Abroad

      February 2018 - June 2018

      1. Attended Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia
      2. Studied computer science, international politics, and mathematics

    4. LeaderShape National Institute

      February 2018 - June 2018

      1. Experienced and practiced leading with integrity and facilitating change
      2. Embraced and ideated on challenges and solutions around diversity, inclusion, and accessibility

    5. Accelerate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center

      October 2016 - August 2019

      1. Practiced and demonstrated innovative problem-solving skills through a startup incubator-like program
      2. Taught and led young entrepreneurs to solve problems using sustainable and innovative methods
      3. Co-developed programs facilitating solution-driven conversations solving Boston's most pressing issues

    6. HackWITus

      October 2016 - August 2019

      1. Co-developed hackathon for students with a mission to promote diversity and accessibility in our tech community
      2. Led 10 + person coordinating team, recruited company sponsorships, and executed main event
      3. Managed an annual budget of $15,000 and an average attendance rate of 175 students

  8. Creative Click Media - Web Developer

    October 2015 - October 2016

    1. Developed custom solutions for local business websites using web development fundamentals