An Interview With
Software Developer,
Guadalupe J. Guzmán.

Q. What were you doing before Conduit?

A. I was working at IBM as a software engineer for three years. I was given an internship opportunity with them during my last year at NYU since my professors were impressed with my skills in the field. Being the biggest computer company in New York at the time, I immediately took the chance to be able to work with them in any capacity given to me. I had done that for a year or so, before being offered a position in the company. I mostly worked on their terminals, developing OS systems and storage devices, among some other things. My work in early computer emulation landed me in some papers, giving me some credibility in the field which helped with getting the foundations for Conduit built.


Q. Where did the idea for Conduit come from?

A. A place of disillusionment, as well as opportunity. During the late 70s, everyone in the industry was starting to get hooked on the sprouting PC craze, including IBM. It was a good way to earn money, along with staying current with the times. People never familiar with you have the chance to allow one of your products into their homes, meaning growth in your consumer market along with more money in your pockets. Me and my co-founder, Omar, found this odd.

We’re sitting here in perfectly pressed suits, looking the farthest from the everyday person, creating machines that are meant to be in the everyday person’s home. I always found it almost intrusive, even if it sounds like an overstatement. That, along with seeing these companies springing up around us, run by people who thought just like us, is what gave birth to the idea of Conduit.