Dec 11: Meet the team—Marc

This is the eleventh post in the Fastmail Advent 2024 series. The previous post was Dec 10: Sunsetting Pobox. The next post is Dec 12: Following the Sun.

Meet Marc, our Head of the new Trust, Abuse, and Deliverability team — and also source of bad puns. (Oy, good puns!)

Name: Marc Bradshaw

Role: Head of Trust, Abuse, and Deliverability

What do you work on?

The Trust, Abuse, and Deliverability (TAD) team is responsible for mail flow, and anti-abuse. It is our task to make sure the good mail gets delivered and the bad mail does not. This is a fairly new team here at Fastmail, with the responsibility having previously been split between the backend and platform teams.

How long working at Fastmail, how did you get involved?

Too bloody long! 10 years now. I started in 2014. Rob Norris called me and asked if I was still looking for a job. I said “no, but keep talking”. I was another refugee from Monash University - we had worked there together. I had started somewhere else, but that was not a good fit.

What’s a project you have worked on that you’re particularly proud of?

The answer to this is quite often “the next one”, we are rewriting our inbound mail delivery software, and have lots of great ideas which should allow some great new features in the future.

What are your favourite Fastmail features?

I love the memos feature. Being able to put a note on an email so you can remember something about it. Also, labels! Labels make organising email easy.

Other than Fastmail, what’s your favourite or most used piece of technology?

I have a supernote nomad, which is an e-ink tablet which I use to take and organise notes, and as an e-reader. Being e-ink allows me to write notes in a more natural way, but still be able to organise them digitally, all without the distractions I would get from a more fully featured tablet.

I blogged about it back in April.

What are you listening to these days?

My musical taste is quite varied, my recently played list on the music app ranges from 80s synth pop, to Madonna, Linkin Park, SOPHIE, Veruca Salt, and Chappell Roan

What are you watching these days?

I have just finished watching Fallout, I can’t believe we need to wait until 2026 for the next season.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to ride my bike and try to keep fit, with varying levels of success.

What’s your favourite animal?

Hmm. Just got a new puppy. He’s pretty cute, when he’s not being naughty and getting stuck under the house!

Any Fastmail staff you want to brag on?

I mean, they’re all pretty good. Andrew has moved from the Platform team into Development and is quickly getting up to speed on all things backend and mail flow.

What do you like best about working at Fastmail?

I love that we are a small company making a big difference in our field.