We are delighted to welcome Niklas to zystem (creator of zymtrace).
Niklas began his journey by reverse engineering and modding video games. While attending university, he became actively involved in Capture the Flag competitions. Through these competitions, he honed his skills, progressing from reverse engineering to binary exploitation. During this period, he attended Pwn2Own and DEF CON CTF competitions, winning both the Cyber Security Challenge Germany (CSCG) and the European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC).
Following his success in cybersecurity, he experienced burnout and shifted his focus to the equity derivatives market, where he developed analysis tools and mid-frequency trading systems. He also gained extensive experience in distributed systems during his tenure as a technical director at a startup.
My journey into software engineering began with a desire for technical freedom. I wouldn’t define myself solely as a software engineer; it’s simply one of the things I excel at. Throughout my career, I’ve enjoyed making computers work for me, seeing them as both an expression and an extension of myself. I find great satisfaction in drawing connections between different fields and exploring the philosophical aspects of design, architecture, and implementation.
This passion accelerated when a friend introduced me to Rust in 2019, while I was still developing primarily in C++. Like most people who walked this path, I was skeptical at first, but I quickly discovered a hidden beauty that makes it hard for me to look back.
What draws me to zystem is its mission to optimize GPU-bound workloads and push the boundaries of performance analysis. My background in reverse engineering has honed my ability to uncover hidden behaviors in complex systems, and zystem presents the kind of deep technical challenge I thrive on—making the opaque transparent.
Joining zystem allows me to work at the intersection of systems, performance, and reverse engineering—where I can both contribute and continue learning in a fast-moving, high-impact environment.
Finally, I'm incredibly impressed by the team zystem has assembled. The opportunity to collaborate with such talented individuals is truly compelling.
Back in school, it was a choice between physics and tech. Now, I’m also very interested in law, but I think that’s because ethical hackers and good lawyers share a very similar mindset.
Vibes
I’m on a Neovim Linux setup—I just can't use anything else; it makes me feel unproductive.
