Christopher Cartland

B.S. `12 Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
Developer Advocate at Google
Hometown: Templeton, CA

Job description

I lead a team that works with influential app developers to bring the latest Android technology to smartphones, TVs and cars. We work with software developers to create high-quality apps on Android that serve billions of people. My team engages with industry experts to generate insights that help Google build better technology to meet the needs of an increasingly connected world. I’m an engineer who helps other engineers, product leads and business executives to plan their futures with the Android platform.

Current project that excites you

I lead the team that’s doing developer outreach for the COVID-19 Exposure Notifications System, which was built by Google and Apple to help governments fight the pandemic with privacy-preserving Bluetooth technology. I find it exciting that we’ve been able to save lives while preserving user privacy. The innovative system uses Bluetooth to detect proximity to other phones without tracking your location, and the system is designed so it can be used anonymously. Popular Science awarded this technology its Innovation of the Year 2020.

Skills learned at Cal

I learned how to work on ambiguous problems. You have to figure out how to think clearly and how to work with others when things aren’t simple.

Something few people know

I can do a front handspring with a soccer ball. This is allowed for a throw-in, and the momentum from the flip helps me throw the ball about twice as far.

Current food obsession

Sourdough bread. I created a sourdough starter after I started working from home due to the pandemic. I kept it alive for many months before baking anything with it. Then, in the past few weeks, I’ve been on a roll and have made a loaf of bread almost every day.

Fondest memory from Cal

Racing a solar car across Australia at the 2011 World Solar Challenge. I spent as much time working for CalSol (the UC Berkeley Solar Vehicle Team) as I spent on the rest of my studies. We were a group of students who designed and built a solar-powered vehicle that could cross a continent on the other side of the world. I’m still amazed that we were able to pull it off.

Class or professor that changed your thinking

Dan Klein, CS188 Artificial Intelligence. We learned AI techniques using an evolving game of Pac-Man. The projects were so much fun. I also think a concept from the course, the “expected value of perfect information,” has shaped the way I approach ambiguous problems. I try to make the best decisions based on the information I can afford to learn.

Advice for your 20-year-old self

Try to enjoy learning from your failures. The things that you’ll be good at are the things where you’ve failed the most.

What keeps you enthusiastic about your job

I’m incredibly lucky to work in a job where I get to use my understanding of technology to help people. When I finish a project, things are a little better than they would have been without me, and I feel good about that.

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