ABOUT
I'm Matt Zagaja, an attorney with background in politics, science, and technology residing in Massachusetts. I am a Software Architect at TED and am on the leadership team of Code for Boston.
My first job was fixing and configuring computers and networks for individuals and small businesses in Connecticut. I taught myself HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I built machines from parts, configured them for networks, and recovered data from broken hard drives.
In politics I worked for every campaign that former Connecticut Governor Malloy ran since 2006. I helped Elizabeth Esty unseat an incumbent Republican state representative in 2008. Then in 2013 I managed Matthew Nemerson's mayoral race in New Haven before he dropped out to endorse Mayor Toni Harp. In 2014 I worked for the Connecticut Democratic Party as its Deputy Data Director. I have also volunteered as treasurer for several campaigns and interned for the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission.
I have also consulted for numerous start-up companies in the technology sector. Some of that experience was through UConn Law's IP Clinic where I helped the companies secure trademarks and assisted in the drafting of patents. Other times it has been through individual contracts with the companies or through the UConn Business School's Innovation Accelerator program where I created market research reports that companies used to secure investments and plan their future. In January 2015 I helped Lon Seidman cover CES 2015 for his YouTube Channel. I think technology start-ups are critical to the future of the country. Thus I am passionate and enjoy writing about legal and policy issues around them like network neutrality, patents, copyright, security and privacy.
Besides serving as Software Architect at TED, I also collaborate with CTNewsJunkie on two projects: vote.ctnewsjunkie.com and bills.ctnewsjunkie.com. I enjoy working on these projects as experiments in increasing civic engagement through data and software.
EXPERIENCE
Building the backend systems that power TED.com — one of the world's most-watched video platforms. Primary focus on Ruby on Rails, API design, media infrastructure, and reliability at scale.
- Ruby on Rails backend serving millions of viewers globally
- API design and media infrastructure
- Reliability and performance at scale
Fellowship working on the Lumen Database — the world's largest archive of online content removal requests. Mentored two Google Summer of Code students on open-source contributions.
- Maintained and extended the Lumen Database Rails application
- Mentored two Google Summer of Code contributors
- Research on online speech, platform accountability, and DMCA requests
Built geospatial planning tools for metropolitan planners and policymakers using PostGIS, Esri vector tile services, Mapbox, and shapefile pipelines ingested into Rails + PostgreSQL.
- PostGIS spatial data pipelines and ogr2ogr workflows
- Esri and Mapbox vector tile integration
- D3.js election maps overlaying district geometries with live results
EDUCATION
Intellectual Property Law
OPEN SOURCE & VOLUNTEERING
Leading civic tech engineers on open-source projects for public benefit — voter tools, outreach apps, and community infrastructure.
vote.ctnewsjunkie.com and bills.ctnewsjunkie.com — tools for civic engagement through data and software.