Meet Mike Garon, Cobalt's New VP of Engineering

We are thrilled to announce that Mike Garon is joining us as our new Vice President of Engineering.

Mike is a full-stack developer and engineering leader with a diverse background spanning cybersecurity, video games such as Rock Band, robotics, fintech, and even jewelry equipped with secret electronics. He’s driven by curiosity and enjoys pushing boundaries.

His leadership philosophy is to support his team at a high level to achieve success. This means recognizing his team's proven skills and their untapped potential and celebrating our collective wins. He's excited to be part of such an accomplished team at a pivotal time in the company's history. 

We took a moment to sit down with Mike to discuss his history and his vision for the future. 

Who is Mike Garon? 

A boundary-pushing rascal who loves building cool stuff with other people. I am also a girl dad, a loving spouse, and someone who has long conversations with his dog.

Why Did You Join Cobalt?

I joined Cobalt because I saw a massive opportunity. It’s an awesome platform that lets real people use offensive cyber skills for good. This is a chance to be technically creative at a time when our tools are unbelievably powerful. 

Can You Provide an Overview of Your Experience?

I’ve been building products and teams for twenty-five years. I started as a front-end engineer but expanded over time to work on the back end, infrastructure, and even design. I continued my growth in embedded device firmware, circuits, and even manufacturing. My curiosity has led to some crazy experiences and many, many late-nights shipping code.

What Insights Have You Gained Over the Years?

Life is short. Work should be fun! One way to have more fun is to do work right (or as right as possible) the first time. It’s okay to make mistakes, but think about the long-term consequences of your short-term choices. People mostly mean well. Don’t dwell on mistakes!

What Is Your Mission and Vision for Cobalt?

My mission is to help the team achieve its full potential. I want to see us grow as individuals in confidence and skill. I also want to see us grow together so we navigate a crazy time in our industry while making our customers happy. That means working with the team to apply AI to our everyday work while satisfying legitimate concerns about security and privacy. AI is a huge opportunity for us to deliver more value to our customers and testers in less time. Let’s give everyone superpowers! 

Any favorite hobbies or pastimes you do in your spare time? 

I love running, rock climbing, weight lifting, traveling, singing badly in the shower, hiking with dogs, and studying life! I love studying various insects and plants.  Everything is better with friends and dogs. 

Closing Thoughts

I’m honored to be included in the Cobalt adventure. I look forward to achieving great things together with our combined skill, effort, and kindness!