About Me

Hey there! I’m Og (pronounced “Auggie”) Maciel — named after the author Og Mandino — originally from northern Brazil, now calling the U.S. home since 1991.

I’m a remote-working software engineering senior manager, book-lover, tinkerer, and family man.

My Journey

I learned to code on a TK90X in BASIC (yes, that’s retro) while devouring Input magazines. But my first love was science: I earned a B.S. in Biochemistry. After a stint in pharma startups, I stepped into the open-source world and eventually moved to Chapel Hill, NC, to join an open-source company full-time.

Since then, I’ve built tools (Capacitator, FauxFactory, Potentializer, Robottelo and more), led teams, organized hackathons, and published books. My books — spanning both fiction and nonfiction — can be found on Amazon. Writing, for me, is as much about discovery as it is about storytelling.

Personal Manifesto

I believe in building environments where people can grow.

Growth is not an accident. It is the product of trust, curiosity, and psychological safety. I will always work to create spaces where people feel safe enough to try, fail, learn, and rise.

I believe that clarity is one of the greatest gifts one can offer.

The world is full of noise, fear, and unnecessary complexity. My goal is to make things simpler, human, accessible, and possible.

I believe in elevating the unseen, the underestimated, and the overlooked.

Potential is everywhere, but opportunity is not. I will champion the people whose abilities are hidden by circumstance, doubt, or ignorance.

I believe innovation thrives when people feel valued.

Great ideas come from passion, not pressure; from autonomy, not authority; from feeling trusted, not controlled. I will build teams where creativity is the norm, not the exception.

I believe leadership is an act of service, not status.

My responsibility is to remove obstacles, not create them. To empower, not diminish. To listen, not dictate. To earn trust, not demand loyalty.

I believe technology exists to improve human life.

Whether through automation, simplification, or innovation, my work must ultimately reduce friction, eliminate waste, and make life easier for others. I will use my skills to create tools that liberate people, not burden them.

I believe that empathy, fairness, and compassion are non-negotiable.

Mistreatment, disrespect, and indifference have no place in my world. I will stand against injustice — personal or organizational — and advocate for dignity in every interaction.

I believe in lifelong learning, reinvention, and curiosity.

I am not defined by what I knew yesterday. I will continue to grow, explore, experiment, and challenge myself, because curiosity keeps me human and humble.

I believe in the power of storytelling, writing, and communication.

Stories reveal truth. Writing clarifies thought. Language builds bridges. I will use my voice to inform, inspire, and make complexity feel conquerable.

I believe my purpose is to help others become who they are capable of becoming.

This is my north star. My work, leadership, creativity, and compassion all converge here.