Proof · The record behind the services

Experience you
can inspect.

The Claude Code rollout at The New York Times, recommendations from colleagues and students, and work you can explore.
Alex Tong presenting at a lectern with his laptop.
Speaking at EngX 2026 · The New York Times
Zhe (Ronny) Wang on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Senior Software Engineer · The New York Times
Read the full recommendation
“Alex has been instrumental in raising the AI capabilities of the broader engineering organization.”

Work in practice

Work at The New York Times.

Before going independent, I was on the AI Champions team that rolled Claude Code out across engineering at The New York Times, alongside staff and principal engineers, directors, and managers.

I taught engineers to build with agents and shipped plugins the company adopted. On the Access team, behind the paywalls and registration walls, I wrote the AI-assisted script that cut per-rule migration from days to hours on a rewrite scoped as a year-plus effort.

Teaching, in the room.

Presentations and hands-on learning at The New York Times.

Alex Tong presenting to a large seated audience, with his slides displayed across the room.
Sharing practices for working with agents.
Alex Tong walking through a migration prompt as engineers follow along with laptops in a classroom.
Walking through a real migration workflow.
01 / Access

The next step for a reader.

Paywalls and registration walls: when to stop a reader, and what they see next.

02 / Playback

More ways into a story.

A stint working on the video and audio players at The New York Times.

03 / Teaching

Useful knowledge, shared.

Claude Code workshops, presentations, and plugins engineers could adopt across teams.

Three parts of my work at The New York Times.

500+
Engineers reached by the Claude Code rollout I worked on with the AI Champions team
2nd
Most-prolific contributor to the internal Claude Code plugin marketplace
3
Rollout sessions I created and presented, including a CLAUDE.md talk at the internal EngX conference

Recommendations

Their words. In full.

Original recommendations from a client, from engineering and product teammates, and from students I’ve coached. Linked names open their public profile.

Client · Mostly Mellow

Alex is highly reliable and capable engineer who pairs a strategic business and design perspective with flawless execution! He brought great energy and enthusiasm to my project during a vulnerable period, making it rewarding, collaborative experience in anchoring my vision into a tangible world. I appreciated his transparency, professionalism, attention to detail and prompt communication. I highly recommend Alex to anyone looking for a truly custom build.

Zhe (Ronny) Wang on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Senior Software Engineer · The New York Times

Engineering teammate · The New York Times

I had the opportunity to work closely with Alex on several AI initiatives, and he has been one of the key technical drivers behind our organization's adoption of AI-assisted engineering practices.

Alex designed and implemented the AI harness and supporting workflows that enabled a major project. He has a unique ability to evaluate emerging AI technologies, identify practical applications, and quickly transform ideas into scalable engineering solutions. His work helped establish repeatable patterns that engineers could confidently adopt across teams.

One of Alex's strengths is bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI capabilities and real-world software development. He has invested significant effort in exploring tools such as Claude Code, developing effective workflows, documenting best practices, and helping engineers understand how to maximize productivity while maintaining engineering rigor and code quality.

Beyond his direct technical contributions, Alex has been instrumental in raising the AI capabilities of the broader engineering organization. Through workshops, mentoring sessions, and company-wide presentations, including our AI training programs and engineering summit, he has shared practical lessons learned and demonstrated how AI can meaningfully improve software delivery.

Alex combines curiosity, humility, technical excellence, and a strong sense of teamwork. He is the type of colleague who raises the bar through both his work and his example. Any team would be fortunate to have him as a partner and mentor.

Nicole Larson on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Senior Product Manager · The New York Times

Product teammate · The New York Times

As a Product Manager, I would recommend working with Alex in a heartbeat - he's curious, a leader across teams, and someone I looked forward to solving problems with every day.

We "borrowed" Alex from another team to do a complex migration of a Games paywall to a new message targeting architecture. He coordinated across three teams and 5 functions, instilling confidence in our partners and taking responsibility for the phased ramp up, alignment, and business considerations (sales, code freezes, sensitive end of quarter periods) that were all crucial to stability on one of our highest revenue surfaces.

What was most impressive to me in my time working with him was Alex's success solving a problem that the organization had explored once before and pivoted from because of the high level of effort: the ability to correctly handle a Games paywall for anonymous subscribers (users who had paid but never made an account). He was excited about the challenge & designed, owned, and shipped a reusable capability that not only served the project at hand, but on future features as well. I truly think this capability would not exist without Alex and it makes a difference to thousands of subscribers every day.

Alex delivered real, measurable business impact and was a true Senior engineering partner to Product during our time together. I would jump at the opportunity to work with him again!

Engineering teammate · Amazon

I had the pleasure of working closely with Alex on several projects, and I am consistently impressed by his ability to provide creative solutions for complex problems. Alex's deep understanding of software development process, combined with an innovative mindset, was invaluable addition to our team.

Alex also excels in writing extensive documentation, which played a crucial role in ensuring smooth project execution and knowledge transfer. His attention to detail and clear communication skills significantly contributed to the success of our initiatives.

I wholeheartedly recommend Alex for his technical expertise, dedication, and exceptional problem-solving abilities. He is a true asset to any team or project.

Jason Chen on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Software Development Engineer II · Amazon

Engineering teammate · Amazon

Alex has consistently proven himself to be a remarkably diligent and skilled coder during the time we worked together. Regardless of the complexity or scale of the task, Alex's code is always well-documented, easily maintainable, and performance-optimized.

Notably, his contributions were crucial in implementing several robust algorithms that significantly enhanced our application's performance. His commitment to continuous learning and tireless work ethic make him an exemplary programmer. I unequivocally vouch for Alex's coding expertise.

McLean Cozine on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Software Developer · InterSystems

Coaching student · Data Structures & Algorithms

I was a student of Alex's for a number of months. In that time my confidence and capabilities in both coding and system design interviews increased dramatically. He is caring and capable, and has an excellent understanding of the most important parts of each interview.

He highlighted where I did well and clearly explained where I could improve, making sure that each session we were making progress. I highly recommend Alex to anyone looking to improve their interview performance.

Victoria Delgado on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Packaged App Development Analyst · Accenture

Coaching student · Data Structures & Algorithms

I have been working with Alex as a tutee during my time at a rigorous software engineering bootcamp. Alex has exceeded my expectations in all areas. He is extremely intelligent and well informed.

He is able to break down every single problem and explain them in an effortless style.

Out in the open

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Teaching materials, writing, and personal projects. A few places to keep exploring.

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