Chris Maguire

Chris Maguire was the technical co-founder who built Etsy's original platform architecture and infrastructure. He met Kalin through NYU bulletin boards where he was known as a 'legend' hacker. Maguire and co-founder Haim Schoppik did the bulk of the coding while Kalin focused on vision. Maguire later described working at Etsy as 'like being in an abusive relationship' due to Kalin's erratic management style. He departed in August 2008 and later founded Waffl and Postling.

Chris Maguire earned a BA in Art, Computer Science & Animation from NYU. He was the primary developer who built Etsy's backend systems, database architecture, and original marketplace functionality. Working alongside Haim Schoppik, he essentially moved into Kalin's apartment for six weeks to launch the site. After departing Etsy in 2008, he founded Waffl, a community marketplace for innkeepers, and Postling, a social media management tool. In a 2015 interview, when asked if he missed Etsy, he replied: 'No. Etsy was a fascinating community to build for and grow alongside, but the working environment was not something I've ever felt wistful about.'