Matt Casperson – Director of Security and Privacy
From protecting his siblings growing up to protecting Sense’s customers today, Matt’s path into cybersecurity feels almost inevitable. Get to know our Director of Security and Privacy: his take on responsible AI adoption, the consumer’s role in decarbonization, and what he’d be doing if not for climate tech (hint: it involves Russian winters).
About Your Role at Sense
What drew you to work at Sense?
For some context I have two younger siblings and, as a result, a protector by nature. When I see things that I think deserve protecting I pursue them and I think it’s an important factor in how I ended up working in cybersecurity. With Sense I get to help protect people, technology and the earth which to me is kind of like winning the job lottery.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Some people take a job to have a job. At Sense I don’t get that vibe and the majority of interactions I’ve had reinforce that it’s a group of extremely intelligent people who are truly passionate about the company mission. Being a cheerleader is not one of my strong suits or natural to me; describing to people what my company does immediately dismantles that nature. I love telling Sense’s story, showing off our mobile app and seeing the moment when it “clicks” for someone just learning about what we do.
How has your role evolved since you started?
I have evolved from an individual contributor to adding privacy, another security hire, combining forces with our awesome IT team and of late ruthlessly pursuing working knowledge of the current AI industry to help do my part to usher in responsible adoption within Sense.
Thoughts on the Energy Industry
What role do you think consumers play in decarbonization?
I think consumers play a significant role. Small changes to behaviors extrapolated over many people has the potential to yield significant impacts in decarbonization.
How does working in climate tech change your perspective on energy use at home?
I walked into Sense knowing very little about my energy use at home. I often think about impacts outside of the home these days, specifically with the impacts of technology on its underlying electric usage. It can be challenging to reconcile something intangible (technology) to something tangible (climate impacts) and I often try to maintain self-awareness of that fact to be sure that I’m responsibly using technology.
How do you stay up to date with energy innovation?
I rely heavily on our staff who are plugged into the latest innovations, their slack channels, presentations, etc. and I will say those staff are amazing at staying plugged in, for which I am extremely thankful!
Life Outside of Work
What’s your go-to way to recharge after a long day?
My kids are in a prime being silly phase of life (7 and 4) so if I have a long day goofing off with them, it helps counterbalance any stress. A very close second is plugging the Strat into my loop pedal and Superchamp and getting lost for a bit.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I am a morning person. Most weekdays I start my day at 4:30 AM when I head to the gym.
If you weren’t in climate tech, what field would you explore?
I would 100% be a history professor teaching military history and geeking out about things like how nobody ever defeats the Russian winter.
