How to Discover the Binary System as a Child • Simon Peyton Jones & Chelsea Troy

This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted. https://gotopia.tech Simon Peyton Jones - Key Contributor of Haskell & Engineering Fellow at Epic Games Chelsea Troy - MLOps Tech Lead at Mozilla & Lecturer at University of Chicago RESOURCES Simon https://simon.peytonjones.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Peyton_Jones https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonpj Chelsea https://chelseatroy.com https://social.clawhammer.net/@HeyChelseaTroy https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseatroy Links https://www.barefootcomputing.org https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/resources/2015/january https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/forum-news-blogs/2023/november https://chelseatroy.com/2025/05/14 https://computingeducation.org.uk https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog DESCRIPTION Simon discusses how a simple math problem led him to discover the binary system 55 years ago. He explores how to maintain the essence of computational thinking in an era where AI can instantly solve coding problems, emphasizing concrete, motivated contexts over abstract algorithms. The discussion spans from elementary programming to his unique role as a computing fellow at Epic Games, where he works with CEO Tim Sweeney to design the Verse programming language, proving that even big companies can prioritize denotational semantics over quarterly profits. RECOMMENDED BOOKS Simon Peyton Jones • The Implementation of Functional Programming Languages • https://amzn.to/3HQE0Xn Chelsea Troy • Remote Work Sucks • https://heychelseatroy.gumroad.com/l/remoteworksucks Bluesky Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Facebook CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUS Join this channel to get early access to videos & other perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/join Looking for a unique learning experience? Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket: gotopia.tech SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL - new videos posted daily!