ESS Technology is a privately held fabless semiconductor company in San Jose, California that designs high-performance analog and audio chips. It is best known for its SABRE line of digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), built on the patented HyperStream modulation architecture, which are widely regarded among audiophiles as some of the best-sounding audio silicon on the market. ESS parts power everything from LG flagship smartphones and Sennheiser's flagship headphones to home-theater receivers, professional studio gear, soundbars, and automotive audio systems.

Marco Arment is an independent iOS developer, podcaster, and blogger best known for building Overcast (a leading podcast app), co-founding Tumblr, and creating Instapaper. He co-hosts the Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP) with John Siracusa and Casey Liss, and writes at marco.org. His career is defined by principled solo craftsmanship - he operates Overcast entirely alone with no investors or employees, maintains a fierce privacy stance in his apps, and is famous for once pulling a #1 App Store app (Peace) after 36 hours on ethical grounds.