# Tom Preston-Werner > American businessman **Wikidata**: [Q16602077](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16602077) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Preston-Werner) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/tom-preston-werner ## Summary Tom Preston-Werner is an American businessman, computer scientist, and software engineer. He is best known for his contributions to the software development industry, including the creation of the TOML configuration file format and his leadership roles at technology companies such as Gravatar and Powerset. ## Biography - **Born:** May 27, 1979 (preferred) or October 28, 1979, in Dubuque, Iowa - **Nationality:** United States - **Education:** Dubuque Senior High School; Harvey Mudd College - **Known for:** Creation of TOML; software engineering and business leadership - **Employer(s):** Gravatar, Powerset - **Field(s):** Computer science, software development, business management ## Contributions Tom Preston-Werner has made significant contributions to the fields of software engineering and open-source standards. His most prominent technical achievement is the creation of TOML (Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language), a configuration file format designed to be easy to read due to obvious semantics and a minimal design. He published the initial specifications for TOML in February 2013, and it has since become a notable standard for software configuration. In addition to his technical projects, Preston-Werner has held various roles within the technology sector, including software developer, computer scientist, and business executive. He began a significant period of professional work around 2008 and has been employed by companies such as Gravatar and Powerset. Under the online alias "mojombo," he has maintained a high-profile presence in the developer community, contributing to the software development process and industry standards. ## FAQs ### Q: What is Tom Preston-Werner's most notable technical work? A: His most notable work is TOML (Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language), a configuration file format he created in 2013 that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write while mapping unambiguously to hash tables. ### Q: What companies has Tom Preston-Werner worked for? A: He has served in various roles at companies including Gravatar and Powerset, where he worked as a software developer and business executive. ### Q: What is Tom Preston-Werner's online alias? A: He is widely known in the software community by the handle "mojombo," which he uses for his personal website, GitHub, and Twitter accounts. ## Why They Matter Tom Preston-Werner’s work has had a lasting impact on how software configuration is handled across the industry. By developing TOML, he provided a robust and human-readable alternative to other data serialization formats, simplifying the development process for countless programmers. His influence is felt not only through his technical specifications but also through his leadership in the San Francisco tech scene. As a practitioner of software engineering and a business executive, he has bridged the gap between technical implementation and industrial management. His active participation in the open-source community since 2008 has helped shape modern software development practices. His significant following on social media and developer platforms underscores his role as an influential figure whose work continues to be a reference point for computer scientists and software engineers globally. ## Notable For * **Creator of TOML:** Developed "Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language," a widely adopted configuration file format. * **Industry Leadership:** Held executive and engineering roles at notable tech firms like Gravatar and Powerset. * **Digital Influence:** Maintains a significant social media presence with over 37,000 followers on Twitter as of 2023. * **Open-Source Contribution:** Active in the software development and computer science sectors since at least 2008. ## Body ### Early Life and Education Tom Preston-Werner was born in Dubuque, Iowa. He attended Dubuque Senior High School before pursuing higher education at Harvey Mudd College. He is a citizen of the United States and currently resides in San Francisco. ### Professional Career Preston-Werner’s professional work period began in earnest around 2008. He has identified as a programmer, software developer, and software engineer. His career includes roles at Gravatar and Powerset, where he contributed to both the technical and business facets of the companies. He has also been classified as a business executive and computer scientist within the industrial and service sectors. ### Technical Projects and TOML In February 2013, Preston-Werner published the README for TOML, a project that would become his most notable work. TOML was designed to serve as a minimal configuration file format that is easy for humans to read and write. The project is maintained under his "mojombo" GitHub profile. ### Online Presence and Identity Preston-Werner is highly active in the digital space under the alias "mojombo." This handle is used for his personal website (tom.preston-werner.com), his GitHub account, and his Twitter profile, which was established in April 2007. By early 2023, his Twitter account reached a following of 37,761. He also maintains a presence on LinkedIn and Facebook. ## References 1. gayanvoice / top-github-users 2. [TOML. 2013](https://github.com/toml-lang/toml/blob/7cc56104bbf1a5b4119c2512bb34bb00be42bc86/README.md)