Joe Sepi is a technologist
Technical leader with strong interpersonal skills who combines execution and organizational alignment to foster meaningful impact in developer communities.
Recent work at IBM and in the community:
AI and Agentic Platforms
- Leading work on Agentic AI platform strategy and implementation, advancing open, interoperable agent frameworks
- Time series domain expert for IBM’s Granite Foundation Models team
- Co-led open-sourcing the InstructLab project, enabling community-driven model instruction and governance
- Driving model and data publishing governance as member of the internal AI Ethics Board and Open Source Model and Data workgroup
- Primary admin of IBM’s expansive presence on the Hugging Face platform
Open Source Contributor & Ecosystem Stewardship
- 15+ years contributing to open source in cloud native, JavaScript, and Node.js communities
- Led the creation of the OpenJS Foundation through the merger of the Node.js Foundation and JS Foundation
- Board Director (community-elected) and Chair of the Cross Project Council (technical steering committee) at OpenJS
- Active collaborator across major projects including Node.js, Express, LoopBack, Node-RED, and ESLint
- Lead and facilitate multiple working groups around AI, Security, Standards, Community and more
- Oversees $350K+ in annual foundation membership revenue, aligning technical priorities with sustainable funding models
- Lead internal IBM OSPO admin, policy and compliance
- Contribute to internal IBM domestic and international standards development and alignment
Security, Compliance & Policy Leadership
- Founded and co-leads the Security Collaboration Space at OpenJS, coordinating ecosystem-wide responses to supply chain risk
- Developed security and compliance guidance for JavaScript projects aligned with SBOM, CRA, and other emerging standards
- Partnered with corporate CISO teams to align open source practices with enterprise security postures
- Frequently called into critical vulnerability response efforts for the broader JavaScript ecosystem
Developer Relations, Advocacy & Community Building
- Delivered countless keynotes, presentations, workshops and more at conferences, events and online
- Host and guest on multiple podcasts, including most recently: In The Open with Luke and Joe
- Technical writer of many articles, workshops, tutorials and documentation
- Foster and cultivate community in open source at OpenJS Foundation and the Node.js ecosystem
Notable events: WebSummit (Lisbon), JSConf (multiple locations), NodeConf.eu (Kilkenny), JSConf.eu (Berlin), WeAreDevs (Vienna), DEVit (Thessaloniki), OpenJS World (multiple locations)
Check out the LinkedIn ↪ Read more
Joe Sepi is a musician
Playing in bands since he was 15, Joe has moved all around the country chasing musical adventures. His first band’s release was produced by Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch and his recent release features friends from Silkworm, Chevelle, Wrong War, and even Lil Bub’s human. While he’s been in many bands you’ve likely never heard of, the only constants in this journey of sound have been Joe’s heart-on-sleeve voice, magic rocket guitar, and change.
His new band, Discount Fireworks, is about to blow up. LOOK OUT! 💥 ↪ Read more