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Being in the World: Software Engineering and Startup Panel
Monday, February 23, 2026
7:00 – 8:00 PM PST
Dodd Hall 247
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Curious about what a career in software engineering or entering the startup world could look like after earning your Philosophy degree? Join us for an in-person career panel with UCLA Philosophy alumni who have successful careers in the worlds of tech and startups!
Christopher Cross, Software Engineer at Tinder, and David Titarenco, Co-Founder & CTO at Crypto Raiders, will discuss their careers and answer any questions you might have about pursuing similar paths.
Found out what our alumni are doing now and how they got there. Walk away with real-world advice for how to approach your post-grad career.
Come hungry–there will be pizza! 
RSVP HERE
Meet the Speakers
Christopher Cross, Software Engineer, Tinder
My interest in philosophy began in high school, when I first read Jean Paul Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism. More generally, I was drawn to the mind-body problem, with all its deep implications for identity and our understanding of reality. I was accepted to Princeton University through a program called QuestBridge and intended to study molecular biology… or perhaps cognitive neuroscience? In the end I obtained a BA in Philosophy, penning a senior thesis aimed at interrogating certain computational models of mind. Thereafter, I matriculated to UCLA to begin working toward a Philosophy PhD. During my first year in the program, I became interested in computer science and began taking intro computer science coursework. At the end of the second year, I stepped away to pivot to software engineering. I have worked in tech for five years and currently work as a software engineer at Tinder. I have previously worked at Amazon and JP Morgan Chase. I specialize in designing and building distributed systems that scale with large, global userbases. I remain interested in non-hegemonic philosophy, particularly in critical theory, sociology, and history.
David Titarenco, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, Crypto Raiders
David is a Romanian-born immigrant and UCLA alum based in Silicon Beach, where he builds startups and software products. He co-wrote Introducing Meteor, edited Dart for Absolute Beginners, and has contributed to open-source projects including Go. A former professional Counter-Strike player, he later built Game:ref, featured by PC Gamer, Polygon, VICE, Red Bull Esports, and Tom’s Hardware. Most recently, he served as CTO and co-founder of a gaming startup, raising over $6M and leading a fully remote team of engineers and designers. He studied philosophy and mathematical logic at UCLA and is now focused on AI and natural-language automation.
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