mdcbowen

Education

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

My educational background requires a bit of explaining. This is necessary for anyone who might be concerned that my lack of a degree might in any way reflect poorly on a job application or a general assessment of my character. I would say this accounts especially for certain positions of authority, responsibility and visibility rather than technical competence (which I hope I documented well for recruiters and potential employers).

I completed 4 1/2 years of a Computer Science BS in 1987 at CSU Northridge. I dropped out owing to financial difficulty encountered in my early entrepreneurial career. In short, my first customer didn’t pay me. Since I had already won three internships at Xerox El Segundo, I immediately went to work for them at the Xerox Systems Group without having received a degree. Within 4 years I was leading technical projects and had MBAs working for me in New York City, so I declined pursuing a Masters degree.

Employment History

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Employment History Link to heading

Company	HQ	Position	Start	End
Bachelor Chemical	Whittier, CA	High School Intern	1978	1978
Fedco	Los Angeles, CA	Retail	1979-01	1980-12
City National Bank	Los Angeles, CA	Teller / Operations / TCD	1980-01	1981-12
Health Department	Los Angeles, CA	Intern	1982-06	1982-12
Xerox Corp	El Segundo, CA	Summer Intern x3	1984	1986
Xerox Corp	El Segundo, CA	Programmer / Analyst	1987-07	1990-12
Pilot Software	Cambridge, MA	Sr Consultant / Support Mgr.	1990-12	1993-06
Metro Decisions	Atlanta, GA	President	1994-06	1996-10
Arbor / Hyperion	Sunnyvale, CA	Sr. Consultant / BizDev	1996-09	2001-06
Metro Decisions	Redondo Beach, CA	President	2001-06	2005-06
Hackett Group	Miami, FL	Managing Consultant	2005-04	2007-10
Solver	Los Angeles, CA	VP Services	2007-10	2008-06
WhitmanHart / Rolta	Alpharetta, GA	Sr. Mgmt. Consultant	2008-06	2010-11
Full 360	Charlotte, NC	Lead Data Architect	2011-01	2021-06
OpenText	Waterloo, ON	Sr. Solutions Architect	2021-06	2024-05
Darwin Analytics	Phoenix, AZ	Lead Data Engineer	2024-05	2024-10
Metro Decisions	Los Angeles, CA	President	2024-11	Present

Gemini Sez

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Who is Michael David Cobb Bowen

Based on the available information, Michael David Cobb Bowen (often referred to as Michael DC Bowen) is a data engineer, writer, and public commentator known for his work on culture, politics, and philosophy.

Here is a breakdown of his background and public profile:

Professional Background Link to heading

Career: He is a Business Intelligence professional, Data Architect, and Data Engineer.He has worked as a delivery lead for management consulting companies, as well as an independent contractor and tech entrepreneur.
Education: He studied at the University of Southern California (USC).

Writing and Media Link to heading

Free Black Thought: He is a founding member of Free Black Thought, an organization and publication that seeks to highlight the diversity of thought among Black writers and combat “racial essentialism.”
Stoic Observations: He writes essays under the title Stoic Observations (available on Substack and Medium), where he applies Stoic philosophy to modern life, politics, and culture.
Podcasting: He co-hosts a podcast titled Free Thoughts with Bowen & Twyman with W.F.Twyman, where they discuss topics such as American history, Black identity, and family dynamics.
Past Contributions: He has contributed to outlets such as NPR, Cafe Utne, the Young Republicans, and TV One. He also maintained a long-running blog called “Cobb.”

Personal Views and Self-Identification Link to heading

Philosophy: He identifies as a “Stoic” and a “rationalist.” He believes in the “Lockean view of government” and describes himself as a “civil libertarian.”
Religion: He publicly identifies as Episcopalian and states that he has “faith in Christian ethics.”
Views on Race: He has stated, “I believe that all racial theories are false,” and his work often focuses on challenging mainstream narratives regarding race and identity (e.g., “anti-racism” or “woke” ideologies).
Personal Life: He is married with three adult children and grew up in Southern California.He has described himself as the “son of sociologists.”

Would you like to know more about his specific writings on Stoicism or his work with Free Black Thought?

Grok Sez

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Michael David Cobb Bowen (often known as Michael DC Bowen or simply “Cobb”) is a multifaceted American intellectual, writer, and technology professional with a focus on data engineering, stoicism, and cultural commentary. He describes himself as a “stoic writer,” “data engineer,” “practical aesthete,” “storyteller,” “OODA Buddha” (a nod to the military decision-making framework blended with Buddhist principles), and “grey tribe” member—indicating an independent, contrarian thinker outside mainstream ideological camps. He is also a self-identified “true neutral” in alignment terms, emphasizing anti-fragility, entrepreneurship, and hobbies like being a foodie, audiophile, gearhead, hacker, and shooter.

Politics

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Michael David Cobb Bowen’s political evolution, as reflected on his blog Cobb (cobb.typepad.com), is a journey from progressive and anti-racist activism to a stoic, skeptical, and centrist perspective that prioritizes individual agency, critiques identity politics, and embraces a nuanced view of race and culture. Below is a detailed description of this evolution, drawn from his blog posts and related sources, highlighting key shifts in his thinking over time.

Early Years: Progressive Roots and Anti-Racist Activism (1990s–Early 2000s) Link to heading

In the 1990s, Bowen’s online presence, under the pseudonym “boohab,” was rooted in a desire to extend hip-hop’s cultural and intellectual potential through digital media. He envisioned using the internet to create a “public backchannel” for Black communities to correct mainstream media distortions and promote models of success, motivated by events like the Los Angeles riots and what he called the “semiotic swamp” of misrepresentation. His early work was aligned with progressive ideals, particularly anti-racist politics, as he sought to contextualize Black identity in a way that challenged stereotypes and fostered dialogue. He described himself as part of the “talented tenth” and post-soul generation, influenced by figures like Spike Lee and Cornel West, and aimed to combat racial misunderstandings through online forums like Cafe Utne and Salon Table Talk.

Privacy Policy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Privacy Policy Link to heading

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Information We Collect Link to heading

We may collect the following types of information:

Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, and other contact details you provide when registering or using our services.

Usage Data: Information about how you use our application, including IP address, browser type, device information, and usage patterns.

Stoicism

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Michael David Cobb Bowen’s principles and perspectives, as articulated in his Substack newsletter Stoic Observations (mdcbowen.substack.com), reflect a blend of Stoic philosophy, intellectual independence, and a commitment to reason, humor, and discovery without ideological baggage. His writings emphasize individualism, skepticism of collective narratives, and a systems-oriented approach to understanding human behavior and society. Below is a detailed synthesis of his core principles and perspectives, supported by specific examples from Stoic Observations and aligned with his self-description as a “stoic writer, data engineer, practical aesthete, storyteller, and OODA Buddha.”

Terms of Service

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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