We recently had the opportunity to sit down with our newest Developer Evangelist Darrell Malone at AIKON and learned more about his background, interests, and passion for the blockchain industry and social justice. As a practitioner of developer relations, Darrell brings a wealth of experience in software development, technical writing, and a deep understanding of blockchain technology. Let’s dive into our conversation and get to know him better.
How did you get your start in your field?
I began working as a technical writer for a blockchain company in 2017. After some time, it became clear that someone needed to manage the onboarding and development process for customers more directly. To handle this, I was given the title of Engineer Support Liaison; now more commonly known as developer relations.
What do you think makes you good at your job?
I have a combination of many years of software development experience, skill with technical writing, a solid sense of empathy, and the ability to network and build durable relationships.
What attracted you to the job at AIKON?
I had some familiarity with the team and felt that this would be a good cultural fit. I also have some history working with digital identity solutions.
What was your first introduction to the Blockchain?
I first learned about blockchain tech during an alternative economy conference in Austin, Texas in 2014. I continued to do some research on the subject and started to get to know others in the community. After some time, I was hired by a Bitcoin ATM company in Austin as a Front End Developer. I’ve been working in the industry ever since.
What’s one thing you wish more people understood about your job, or Web3 in general?
Developer Relations is a strategic contributor to a company. In a firm where outside developers become your primary customers, it can make or break your business.
What do you nerd out about when you’re not at work?
I’m a hardcore gamer who enjoys video games, board games, and tabletop role playing. I’m also a regular reader of history, economic texts, and computer science books.
Being a Developer Evangelist for AIKON is not the only Blockchain project you support. What can you tell us about your social justice initiative?
I’m the founder of an organization called the National Police Data Coalition. It’s a non-profit based out of Houston,Texas, that connects activists, attorneys, journalists, police, and political leaders to create an independent accounting of police activity in the field. Our mission is to create a more transparent and accountable system of policing in the United States.
ABOUT AIKON
Blockchain and crypto are technologically complex. AIKON makes it simple. We’ve built a suite of intuitive products built on the ORE Network (ORE) for enterprise companies looking to provide a seamless user experience that works cross-chain with Algorand, Avalanche, Ethereum, Polygon, EOS, Wax, Telos and more. For more information, visit http://www.aikon.com.