Michael Karb

Background

About Michael Karb

I'm a software engineer at IBM with a strong focus on building scalable, enterprise-grade systems. Over the past few years, I've led the design and implementation of high-performance services that support critical business functions, supporting 60+ applications and $30 billion in potential revenue, while empowering dozens of engineering teams and their data across the enterprise. My expertise lies in designing and implementing low-latency, high-volume applications, where my contributions have led to significant performance gains, widespread internal adoption, and even pending patents. I'm passionate about solving important technical challenges — whether it's optimizing distributed data processing systems, automating cross-service orchestration, or enabling other developers with reusable architecture. Beyond work, I graduated with a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering from the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities. I also enjoy volunteering on meaningful side projects, such as building a mobile app for mental health education in Native American communities, or developing multilingual chat assistants to translate online conversations. I often leverage programming as a creative outlet, exploring interactive 3D projects using Three.js, developing indie games in Godot, or writing graphics engines with C++ and OpenGL. Outside of software and engineering, I enjoy traveling, playing volleyball, drawing, watching TV, gaming, and learning about history. I also love watching football, and would pay an outrageous amount of money to watch the Bears play in the Super Bowl.