Paul Davis

Who is Paul Davis?

Paul Davis is a British software developer best known for his work on audio software for the Linux operating system, and for his role as one of the first two programmers at Amazon.com.

Davis grew up in the English Midlands and in London. After studying molecular biology and biophysics, he did post-graduate studies in computational biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot and EMBL in Heidelberg.

He emigrated to the U.S. in 1989. He lived in Seattle for seven years, where he did work for the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Washington, and several smaller software companies in Seattle - and became one of the two programmers who helped start Amazon.com, but left soon after the company began. He moved to Philadelphia in 1996.

He went on to fund the development of various audio software for GNU/Linux, including Ardour and the JACK Audio Connection Kit. He became one of the few people to work full-time on free software, and one of the few to do so without being an employee of a commercial entity.

He is also an ultra-marathon and touring cyclist. High points have included the 298 mile Cannonball in 14:01, and a five week tandem camping tour from Amsterdam to Athens.