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

GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech

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

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Kapitel

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. The Binary System discovery: A teaching moment (00:01:46)

3. Problem-solving in the age of AI (00:06:23)

4. The journey into computing education (00:11:03)

5. Functional programming & compiler design (00:17:13)

6. Working as a computing fellow at Epic Games (00:21:19)

7. Outro (00:24:18)