Originally from the United States, Michael moved to El Salvador in 2021 while working as a software engineer at Strike, the Bitcoin payments company. It was the first app he built that he also used, and it changed the trajectory of his life.

Before entering the Bitcoin space, he worked in consulting in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., where he observed firsthand the contrast between functioning companies and struggling cities.

Michael holds a BSc in International Relations and an MBA from Florida State University. Raised in Jacksonville, Florida, he was shaped by a deep love for music, maps, and the wider world.

He believes beauty is truth and shares inspiring visual meditations through Palestra’s X page. He also holds to the great man theory of history and believes several are alive today.