About

Sam Kronick is an accomplished engineering leader with over a decade of experience building software systems. He has a diverse range of experience, from data visualization and geospatial applications to full-stack enterprise business applications. Sam is currently the Head of Software Engineering at Sofar Ocean, where he is leading the software team as they scale and find new applications for their ocean data sensors. Sofar Ocean has one of the largest fleets of ocean data sensors in the world and uses the data collected to deliver the most accurate marine weather forecasts available. Their products help ships cross oceans more efficiently, give researchers tools to understand how climate change affects coral reefs, and provide insights that help aquaculture operations raise healthier fish. Prior to his role at Sofar Ocean, Sam was a Senior Engineering Manager at Autodesk, where he led three engineering teams through a transition as PlanGrid joined Autodesk. He acted as a "transition manager" for the entire group of 25 employees across engineering, design, and product to help everyone understand their responsibilities as they moved on to a new chapter within a new company. Amidst this process, he helped launch a new product discovery effort, facilitated discussion of a new technical architecture that would help Autodesk teams across the globe collaborate on their product, and promoted and mentored two first-time engineering managers in their first people management roles. Sam has a Master's degree from the University of California, San Diego. He is a product-oriented engineer focused on using tools, languages, and technology that deliver the most value to users and customers. Sam is a Senior Software Engineer with 14.04 years of relevant experience. He is a natural leader with a talent for managing teams through transitions and mentoring first-time engineering managers.