You’ve probably seen the name Monikka De La Zerda pop up if you’ve spent any time looking into the intersections of high-level systems engineering and social equity. Honestly, the tech world is full of "disruptors" who basically just move buttons around on a screen. But Monikka? She’s a different breed. She’s the person who wrote the code that actually controls the AV systems in every single Apple retail store globally.
Think about that for a second.
Every time you walk into an Apple Store, whether it's in Tokyo or Austin, the seamless technical environment you experience is running, in part, on logic she built. But if you think her story ends at being a triple-certified Extron engineer for one of the biggest companies on Earth, you’re missing the most interesting parts.
Beyond the Apple Contract
Most people focus on the big brand names. It's easy to see "Apple" on a resume and stop reading. But Monikka De La Zerda has spent a huge chunk of her career focusing on what she calls "cosmic harmony" and minimizing dystopia. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, right?
She’s the co-founder of Black Sky Society.
The group is basically a collective aimed at helping self-sovereign individuals organize and fund projects that push back against the "everything is terrible" narrative of the modern world. It’s about building autonomous ecologies. It’s about the Post-Web Nexus. While most of us are just trying to figure out how to keep our passwords secure, Monikka is looking at how communities can own their own data and infrastructure without relying on massive, soul-crushing corporations.
Why the Non-Profit Work Matters
The tech industry has a massive diversity problem. We all know it. We talk about it constantly. But Monikka actually does the legwork.
She has served as a Product Manager and Board Member for Techtonica, a non-profit that is literally changing lives by providing free tech training and job placement to women and non-binary adults from low-income backgrounds. It’s not just "mentorship" in a vague sense. It’s about providing laptops and living stipends so people can actually afford to learn.
Her involvement extends to:
- Hack the Hood: Working as an educator to give youth of color real career navigation tools.
- Code2040: Mentoring Black and Latinx technologists to help them navigate an industry that wasn't exactly built with them in mind.
It’s a lot. Most people with her technical caliber would just sit in a high-paying VP role and call it a day. She doesn't.
The Engineer as a Healer
Here is where it gets kinda wild for the typical Silicon Valley profile. Monikka is a certified Reiki & Sekhem Master.
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She offers these energy healing sessions for free.
It’s an interesting contrast. On one hand, you have a woman who understands the rigid, logical flow of machine learning and control systems. On the other, she’s practicing ancient Japanese and Egyptian healing modalities. It suggests a belief that the "systems" we live in aren't just made of wires and silicon, but of people and energy. If the people are broken, the tech won't fix it.
From Shypwright to UniGen
If you look at her past ventures, you see a pattern of high-stakes problem solving. She co-founded Shypwright, which was a full-stack consultancy handling the heavy hitters: analytics, cyber security, and control systems.
Then there’s UniGen Resources.
As the VP of Software Development, she worked on software control systems meant to pair renewable energy with "firming resources." Basically, she was trying to make the power grid smart enough to handle more green energy without crashing. It’s the kind of invisible infrastructure work that keeps the lights on—literally.
What People Get Wrong About Success in Tech
We often celebrate the "hustle," but Monikka De La Zerda seems to be advocating for a "sovereign" approach. It’s not just about getting a job at a FAANG company. It’s about building tools that allow communities to survive outside of those ecosystems.
Her work with Astrus—another co-founded venture—allowed creatives to host live events in 3D virtual environments. This wasn't just about the "metaverse" hype. It was about giving artists a way to showcase work and bring people together without a middleman taking a massive cut.
Actionable Insights for Aspiring Devs
If you’re looking at Monikka’s career and wondering how to replicate that kind of impact, here is the reality:
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- Master the Boring Stuff First: She became the "sole developer" for Apple's store systems because she mastered Extron engineering. You need a rock-solid technical foundation before you can build "cosmic harmony."
- Diversify Your Impact: Don't just code for a paycheck. Volunteer. Whether it's Techtonica or a local coding camp, teaching others forces you to understand your craft at a deeper level.
- Look for Systems, Not Just Apps: Monikka doesn't just build apps; she builds control systems and autonomous ecologies. Think about how pieces of a puzzle fit together rather than just focusing on one piece.
- Prioritize Self-Sovereignty: In an era of massive data breaches and platform de-platforming, learning how to build decentralized or autonomous tools is the most valuable skill you can have.
Monikka De La Zerda is a reminder that you can be a high-level engineer and still care about things that can't be measured in bits and bytes. You can build the world's most advanced retail AV system and then spend your weekend teaching a teenager how to write their first line of Python. That’s not just a career; it’s a blueprint for a more balanced tech industry.
To follow her work or get involved in the projects she supports, looking into the current cohorts at Techtonica or exploring the philosophy behind the Black Sky Society is the best place to start. Building a better future requires more than just better code—it requires a better perspective on who that code serves.