Zeev Suraski

Zeev Suraski, born on February 18, 1976, is a prominent Israeli programmer and computer scientist, best known for his pivotal role in the development of PHP. A graduate of the Technion in Haifa, Israel, he, alongside Andi Gutmans, created PHP 3 in 1997, which laid the groundwork for the language's widespread adoption.

In 1999, Suraski and Gutmans developed the Zend Engine, the core of PHP 4, and subsequently founded Zend Technologies. The name 'Zend' is a clever blend of their first names, Zeev and Andi. Under their leadership, Zend Technologies has been instrumental in advancing PHP, solidifying its place in the programming world.

Suraski's contributions extend beyond PHP; he is an emeritus member of the Apache Software Foundation and was nominated for the FSF Award for the Advancement of Free Software in 1999. He served as the Chief Technology Officer for Zend Technologies until August 2019, when he transitioned to a new role as Chief Technology Officer at Strattic.

In October 2018, Suraski announced his departure from Zend Technologies, following a strategic shift by Rogue Wave Software, which had acquired the company in 2015. Since then, he has continued to influence the tech landscape, working at Google while also being a dedicated family man, married to Anya Suraski and a father to three daughters.