We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexandru Czimbor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alexandru, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

On a cosmic scale, our lives are fleeting—like shooting stars shining brightly for a moment before fading into the darkness. From the dawn of our species, over a hundred billion people inhabited our planet, but only a tiny fraction made it to our collective memory. If my name were to be among them, I would hope it is because my writing made a positive impact, no matter how small, and helped move the world forward in some meaningful way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born and raised in Transylvania, Romania, during the oppressive communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. At 17, I witnessed the Romanian Revolution of 1989, one of the events that marked the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. My formative years in a world shackled by hypocrisy and propaganda, deeply shaped my perspective on human relationships and society.

Beginning in 1991, I pursued Computer Science at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, driven by my early fascination with Artificial Intelligence, which was sparked by reading Science Fiction. A scholarship to ETH Zurich in 1996 offered my first direct exposure to the free world.

After working remotely for an Artificial Intelligence company based in the US, I relocated to the New York metropolitan area in early 2001. Over the course of my career, I’ve held various roles—Programmer, Project Manager, Executive VP, and ultimately, President—spanning a quarter of a century in the tech industry. I also spent time teaching Computer Science at a Romanian university. Although I was accepted into a Neuroscience PhD program at USC Los Angeles about a decade ago, I chose to focus on my career.

Currently, I work at OSS Nokalva, a leading provider of ASN.1 software development toolkits for communications. Although the core business of OSS is communication software, we’ve always kept a close eye on AI progress. Following the success of Generative AI, we’ve begun exploring the development of a Cognitive Model to support reasoning for Large Language Models (LLMs).

In parallel, my passion for speculative fiction led to the publication of The Soul Machines, a historical fiction novel in 2023, followed by Sentience Hazard, a Sci-Fi novel in 2024. These works reflect my ongoing interest in how human nature, technology and various political systems end up shaping our lives.

Have you ever had to pivot?

There were quite a few crossroads in my life, but one stands out as the catalyst for my move to the US. Back in the late ‘90s, I was juggling two jobs: teaching at a university and working as a freelance programmer. Suddenly, both income streams dried up. The payments from my main client were delayed due to some money transfer mishap, and the university delayed payment because of budget cuts. Despite working 50+ hours a week, I found myself in a strange situation, unable to pay my bills or even put food on the table. The stress was high; I felt trapped and uncertain about the future. That’s when I realized I needed to take a drastic step. I’d always been fascinated by the US—the country I always dreamed of as a kid growing up in a communist regime—and I decided to explore opportunities there. I spent hours researching companies and tailoring my resume to highlight my programming skills. Eventually, I came across a company that was way ahead of its time, doing work in Artificial General Intelligence and applied there. Just a few days later, I received an offer from them that I accepted, and that decision ultimately brought me here. That experience taught me the importance of resourcefulness and the power of taking calculated risks.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The biggest reward for me as an author is hearing from readers, who not only decided to read my novels, but are gracious enough to take time to put together a review or comment. I am fascinated by this connection that transcends physical distance, creating a bond between us. As an avid reader I always felt that, with each book, I experience some kind of mind meld with the author, during which his or her ideas form in my mind, shaped by my own understanding and imagination. The fact that I am now on the other side of this connection, conveying my own thoughts and feelings, makes me immensely grateful. Knowing that my stories resonate with others and perhaps even impact their lives in some small way is incredibly fulfilling.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088590031243
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandruczimbor/
• Twitter: https://x.com/alexandrucz