CTRL+ALT+RESIST is the writing outlet of David Beale

I’m an artist, technologist, writer, philosopher, and theologian based in Chicago. A self-taught engineer, I’ve spent nearly two decades immersed in the tech startup world — from a single-wide trailer in rural Virginia to the chaotic heart of NYC’s Silicon Alley.

Since teaching myself to code in the late ’90s, I’ve stayed at the edge of whatever’s next: Ruby on Rails, DevOps, Kubernetes, Cloud, SRE, and now AI. I’ve built and scaled systems at companies like Glossier and Etsy, and closed out my NYC chapter on a tight three-person SRE team that helped Kustomer exit to Meta for $1B. After a few years in presales — learning the go-to-market grind from the inside — I returned to engineering with a focus on Kubernetes, OpenTofu, Python, and Golang.

But I’ve never just been a technologist. I’m also a lifelong artist and musician — a drummer, improviser, and multi-instrumentalist with a deep love for analog textures and hypnotic minimalism. I’ve recorded with legends like J. Robbins and Mike Albanese, performed across the U.S., and made noise in the Brooklyn and Chicago scenes from punk basements to free jazz lofts. My art practice spans sketchbooks, photography, collage, journaling, and obsessive collecting.

I live in Chicago with my wife and our young son. We’re politically active, spiritually grounded, and building a life rooted in justice, creativity, and community.