# Nate Berkopec

> Nate Berkopec is the world's foremost Ruby on Rails performance expert, founder of Speedshop consultancy, co-maintainer of the Puma web server, and author of 'The Complete Guide to Rails Performance.' A self-taught programmer who pivoted from a Shark Tank appearance at 19, he now runs a thriving consulting and education business from Tokyo, helping Rails developers squeeze every last millisecond out of their applications.

- **Role:** Founder at Speedshop
- **Organizations:** Speedshop, Puma (co-maintainer), Ruby on Rails
- **From:** Eagan, Minnesota, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Business/Managerial Economics, New York University
- **Known for:** Author of 'The Complete Guide to Rails Performance' - the definitive resource for Rails performance optimization, Self-published course generating $220,033.50 in revenue in its first year (2016), Co-maintainer of Puma, one of the most widely-used Ruby web application servers

## Career timeline

- **2010** — Appeared on ABC's Shark Tank at age 19 with 'The Factionist,' a clothing line startup. Didn't land a deal but was hired as an intern by Barbara Corcoran.
- **2011** — Pivoted to programming after a professor suggested it as the fastest path into tech; completed Michael Hartl's Rails tutorial and became a developer.
- **2011-2015** — Worked at various startups in developer roles, gaining deep expertise in Rails performance optimization.
- **2015** — Frustrated by the 'Rails doesn't scale' narrative, began deeply studying performance optimization to push back against the prevailing wisdom.
- **2016** — Self-published 'The Complete Guide to Rails Performance,' generating $220,033.50 in revenue. Appointed as co-maintainer of Puma alongside Evan Phoenix and Richard Schneeman.
- **2016** — Founded Speedshop, a Ruby on Rails performance consultancy offering consulting, workshops, and educational content.
- **2018-2023** — Spoke at major Ruby conferences including RubyKaigi, RubyConf, RailsConf, GORUCO, and RubyFuza. Trained hundreds of developers through workshops.
- **2024-2025** — Relocated to Tokyo; launched Speedshop retainer service; actively integrating AI tools into development workflow.
- **2026** — Scheduled to speak at RubyKaigi 2026; 10x increase in commit output via AI-assisted development; Speedshop retainer service proving very popular.

## Achievements

- Author of 'The Complete Guide to Rails Performance' - the definitive resource for Rails performance optimization
- Self-published course generating $220,033.50 in revenue in its first year (2016)
- Co-maintainer of Puma, one of the most widely-used Ruby web application servers
- Trained over 500 developers through the Rails Performance Workshop
- Speaker at RubyKaigi, RubyConf, RailsConf, GORUCO, and RubyFuza
- Built Speedshop into the go-to Rails performance consultancy
- Author of 'Sidekiq in Practice' and 'The Ruby on Rails Performance Apocrypha'
- Appeared on ABC's Shark Tank at age 19, later reframing the experience as a formative growth lesson

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Updated his 'What I'm Doing Now' page: living in Tokyo, training with a professional cycling coach, heavily integrating AI tools into development (10x commit increase), and balancing work with family time playing Mario Kart.
- **2026-03** — Scheduled to speak at RubyKaigi 2026.
- **2025-11** — Appeared on Remote Ruby podcast discussing Ruby Gems, Bundler, and open source culture and controversies.
- **2025** — Speedshop retainer service proving very popular; focusing on sustainable Puma maintenance and recruiting new contributors.

## Links

- Website: https://www.nateberkopec.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-berkopec-6832b41a8/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/nateberkopec
- GitHub: https://github.com/nateberkopec

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nate-berkopec
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-21