One of the best things about Tweag are the people. A collegiate spirit where there’s a lot of trust and friendship amongst everyone. As such, when a colleague passes away, this is keenly felt by us all.

This blog post is a departure from our normal content to remember our friend and colleague Alexander Esgen, who passed away on 1st November at the age of 26.

Alex joined Tweag as an intern in the summer of 2021, working on Ormolu, our Haskell source code formatter. His talent was immediately apparent; he approached problems with mathematical rigour and practical insight, drawing on his background in category theory. He became a full-time engineer that autumn and, more recently, took on the role of team lead for the Peras project.

Alex made significant contributions to the Haskell ecosystem, particularly in WebAssembly support and functional programming tooling. His work was marked by exceptional thoroughness and attention to detail. Beyond his technical excellence, he was a natural mentor with a gift for explaining complex ideas patiently and clearly, always willing to help colleagues no matter how many times they asked.

What we remember most, however, was his character. Alex had a calm, warm presence that made people feel heard and valued. He was genuinely interested in others and their work and had a way of encouraging those around him. Colleagues consistently describe him as humble, kind and deeply passionate about his craft; someone who truly embodied the spirit of collaboration and mutual support that defines our company.

His loss leaves a void that cannot be filled. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew him.