In early May of 2025, the long-standing SoCal Python organizer Michael Ryabushkin—known to many as goodwill—passed away.
As possibly the person most responsible for years of thriving of the group and its surrounding community, he had an impact on many of us, both professionally and personally. In light of that, this page is a collection of in memoriam messages submitted through this form. If you would like to share your memories of Michael, please do the same.
Michael and I met in 2017, when I started attending SoCal Python meetups. Pretty soon he brought me under his wing as a co-organizer, and over the ensuing years we and others organized many SoCal Python events together, and even the inaugural PyBeach conference. His helpfulness and influence on everything he contributed to are hard to overstate. He was engaged in many other communities as well, and it’s no secret or surprise that many people active in them knew him and appreciated his work.
Somewhere in there Michael and I became friends as well. I don’t know if he knew how to operate in any other way, and I think that line was rather blurred for him in general, since he always sought ways to help other people. The number of times I’ve witnessed him introduce two people to each other is beyond any count, and that’s basically what he was about: making connections. These connections lead to job opportunities, friendships, and who knows what else.
The Southern California Python community has lost one of its major champions, and he will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, goodwill.
— Nik Kantar, May 2025
I met Michael at a PyLadies event in 2011. He’d offered his company’s office space for some of the workshops and hackathons that PyLadies was running at the time. That was the first of many events that we would organize together, over more than a decade. When SoCal Python needed more organizers in 2013, Michael volunteered countless hours to organize monthly meetups where folks from LA and Orange Counties could gather to share knowledge, stories, and skills with each other. On top of that, Michael wrangled his employer into sponsoring numerous events and open source projects, including Plone and Pyramid, Nix, PyCon US, the SoCal Linux Expo, and so many more. His work helped sustain an active commmunity of hundreds of Python and open source enthusiasts.
Michael always kept a keen eye out for those in need of help. He would never hesitate to give generously of his time and resources. Michael once told me “a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet”, and he had many friends, whether they knew it or not! At the time I met Michael, I was freelancing part-time as a web developer to make ends meet. Michael convinced me to change careers, assuring me against my many doubts that I could be successful as a full-time software developer, even opening up a junior developer role at his company to hire me into my first professional job in tech. Without exaggeration, Michael forever changed the course of my life, as he changed the lives of many others.
Michael loved terrible jokes and puns, often repeating his favorites to the point where everyone got sick of them (I suspect this had to be one more reason why he loved meeting new people, for whom these jokes would be fresh material again!). At tech conferences, he made his presence known almost everywhere, as he sought out new people to get to know better, and talked with old friends and new, sometimes through the night – sleep was an after-thought during such weeks.
The SoCal Python community will not be the same without Michael. He was a true leader, a great mentor, and a friend without peer. I will miss him terribly.
— Esther, May 2025
For a few years, Michael was my manager. For many more years, he was also my mentor and friend. He saw his purpose in challenging people and breaking them out of their boxes. He loved to teach, and was always generous with his time. And he encouraged me to give back by helping, advising, and mentoring others. I can’t believe Michael is not with us anymore. But I’m not going to forget his passion, humor, and kindness.
— Irina T, May 2025
I met Michael in 2016, and from the very beginning, it was clear why so many people were drawn to him. He had a rare and disarming kindness—one that didn’t hesitate, didn’t judge, and never asked for anything in return. Michael gave freely: his time, his energy, his resources, and most of all, his heart. He lived up to the name many knew him by—Goodwill—not just in spirit but in practice, every single day.
When I was going through one of the darkest chapters of my life, it was Michael who reached out. We weren’t close then—barely even friends—but that didn’t matter to him. He offered support without hesitation, helped me find my footing when I couldn’t stand on my own, and reminded me that I wasn’t alone. He showed up for me the way he showed up for so many others—quietly, generously, without fanfare. To him, helping a stranger was second nature. By the time you knew him, you weren’t a stranger anymore.
Michael had a way of making everyone feel like they belonged, like they mattered. His presence was a gentle kind of light—the kind that warms you, steadies you, and stays with you long after he’s gone. That is his legacy: not just the kindness he gave, but the kindness he inspired in others.
We’ve lost a good one someone who gave more than he ever took, and who made the world feel a little less lonely for those lucky enough to know him.
Rest easy, Michael. Your generosity lives on in the people you helped, the lives you lifted, and the love you left behind.
— Karim Amer, May 2025
Michael was a great guy. At first glance, he seemed very serious, but once you began talking with him, you could sense his kindness and warmth. He always knew how to listen and when to speak up. His wonderful sense of humor and curious mind inspired those around him. I will truly miss him. Rest in peace, Michael.
— Daniel K, May 2025
Michael was an expert organizer and proud contributor to open source. He found me on IRC one day and invited me to an event he helped coordinate. I didn’t know it at the time, but he was interested in hiring remote workers long before it was commonplace. Looking back, I realize he identified me as an ideal subject for his experiment when he said I was good at overcommunicating. Was this a compliment? I still don’t know. But he knew that long written updates and an abundance of verbosity would help other departments and management become comfortable with someone working remotely.
He hired me and launched my career in tech. He began work on his grand designs immediately after. He added computers and monitors to several mobile carts. He left them in conference rooms and around the office. I could teleport between rooms at will to be a visible part of the team. Eventually he did hire more remote workers. His system worked.
But I’ll never forget that one day, Michael wheeled me into a room and the whole office wished me a happy birthday. He wanted to make sure I got to participate in the office festivities too. There was perhaps one minor flaw in his plan. The office never failed to buy cake for employee birthdays, and you can’t eat cake remotely. I sat in silence on the cart, watching slice after slice of my birthday cake disappear. It was one of the most surreal and funny moments of my life, so we’d often joke about it. I didn’t really want a cake, I just loved the absurdity of it all. But I think it stuck with him.
Months later I flew into the office to visit, and he handed me a small box. It had three fancy cupcakes inside. It wasn’t given ironically or because I made jokes about the cake. He just wanted me to know I was part of the team. Michael was one of the most thoughtful and generous people I’ve ever met. I don’t know where I’d be without him. I’m going to miss him.
— Eric Rasmussen, May 2025
I met Michael back in PyCon 2012, as usual he was very enthusiastic and energetic. For some weird fortunate reason we crossed paths that year, in his always-giving mode, just from that initial interaction I end up with a Pyramid t-shirt, chocolates and a hug. Typical Michael, a kind and generous soul.
Couple of years down the road he end up offering me a job, becoming my boss, mentor and a friend. Wicked smart, fast talker, and a very sensitive man. In the coming years I was able to get a glimpse of other aspects of his life, like his strong family bonds (I even remember talking with his grandma on the phone in Spanish!), very visible with the recent humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, he went out of his way to try to help.
I’m eternally grateful to all of his teachings and great moments we shared. Michael, you will be missed.
— Joel Rivera, May 2025
Goodwill was a larger than life personality that was always ready to take on a new challenge, and be the glue that drove that challenge forward. I had the pleasure of meeting Goodwill when I started working with the Pylons Project team on Pyramid, on IRC mainly, and in merge requests.
Meeting him in person for the first time was amazing, because that is when you got to see the real Goodwill, the one that always has a smile on his face. That friendly face as he makes sure to introduce you to anyone and everyone around him because it is important to him that you too get to know all these people. That incredible smile as he gets you to put in some hard work, all the while you are not realizing what is happening… he was good at that 😉
Goodwill was also incredibly generous with his time, always willing to lend a hand, always willing to jump on a problem and make sure it got sorted, and he just had a knack for getting people, those soft skills that can’t be taught.
Goodwill was incredibly special. He was not just a mentor, a friend, a fellow hacker, he was so much more, and I don’t think there is a language dead or alive that can convey exactly what he meant to me, but also to everyone around him. <3
— Delta Regeer, May 2025
Michael was a wonderful person to know. He helped everyone in lots of open source communities, and somehow kept all the plates spinning in his personal and professional life too. He was also generous and funny as hell. I went downstairs one day in my apartment and there was a super nice monitor just sitting there. Michael had found my wishlist on Amazon and just bought it for me, because that’s just the kind of guy he was. He helped me by giving me consulting work and matching me with others that needed that kind of work. He seemed to have boundless energy, and was an extrovert, which is rare in the open source world. I will miss him, and I know many people depended on him and loved him. This is a true loss.
— Chris McDonough, May 2025
I met Michael almost twenty years ago. We worked together at a dysfunctional startup in Los Angeles. I worked on their desktop application, and Michael was hired to build their web application. Mind you, this was twenty years ago and web “applications” weren’t really a thing yet. I was amazed at what he was able to do with JavaScript. Despite the dysfunction of the situation, we had a lot of fun. There’s no shortage of comedic material when your company’s CEO is on the SEC watch list. I eventually transitioned into a remote role while Michael stayed back at HQ. He loved to share updates about the antics back at the office, like the leadership team walking realtors through the office space without telling anyone who they were or why they were there. I later fled to South America without telling anyone, having hatched a plan to collect a few more paychecks in exchange for some ambiguous “stand up” updates every morning. When I got there, I decided it wasn’t worth it, and effectively quit without telling anyone. After a few days, Michael reached out to me to let me know the CEO was “freaking out” and “threatening legal action.” This made me smile to no end. I wrote up a quick resignation email and gave Michael my credentials so he could log into my computer and send it for me. Michael did that for me. He loved that story, and he loved having me tell that story.
Michael left a short time after that, finding a job at Cars.com, working on the NewCars.com website. It was the opposite of dysfunctional. It was a very happy and supporting place. When I washed ashore several months later he got me a job there. I didn’t do great during the interview, but he talked them into hiring me anyway. He always believed in me. I spent the first few years under his wing. Begrudgingly at times. As many of us know, Michael loved to teach, and it didn’t really matter if you wanted to learn or not. I am forever grateful for that. I don’t know how he knew so much, or where and when he learned it all. I was and still am amazed by the depths of his knowledge. He gave me the foundation on which the rest of my career is built.
And push me to build on that foundation he did. I was a very shy and introverted developer. I spent most meetings in those early years hoping no one would ask me anything. But he pushed me to take more responsibility, to organize and lead people, to eventually become a manager. He saw something in me that I didn’t see. That was his super power. He saw your potential, he believed in you, he pushed you, again, whether you wanted to be pushed or not. He was there. Always smiling, always poking, always taking you a little further out of your comfort zone. It was his gift.
Michael helped launch a lot of careers. He brought people together. He supported, with time, money, food, words, laughter, the medium didn’t matter. He was a kind and sensitive soul. He loved, and he was loved. This is his legacy. We love you, Michael.
— Jeremy Jacocks, May 2025
Oh boy, where to start?!
This man was a huge part of why I am in the tech industry today. I “Will” say that before I knew that his intentions were “Good” (yes, pun intended), my first impression was “Dang, this guys is rough! Is he trying to make me cry or what?”. I think everyone who knew him well knows exactly what I mean.
He had the biggest heart, and he was always trying to help, but let’s just say his delivery wasn’t exactly delicate. HAHA.
Once I got to know him, I saw that he was constantly looking out for others, whether he knew them or not. He was always trying to lend a hand, offer advice, or nudge you (hard) in the right direction. He was just being the GoodWill we all came to love.
Thanks to him, I broke out of my introverted shell. (And by “broke out,” I mean he grabbed my arm, yanked me over to a hiring manager at a meetup, and said, “You’re hiring. Travis wants a job. TALK!”)
Because of him, I found my way into tech.
Because of him, I learned to communicate better.
Because of him, I am a better person.
I wish I had the chance to thank him in person, but knowing him, he wrote a backdoor in this game of life and is reading all these rad tributes with a smirk, cracking up in the clouds.
You will be missed man…
— Travis Pandos, May 2025
goodwill was the person most responsible for making PyCon fun for the Pyramid community. His enthusiam, good humor, and zest were amazing.
— Tres Seaver, May 2025
I’ve known Michael for ~15 years at this point, we met back in 2009-2010 in Santa Monica at some developer event (I can’t even remember if SoCal Python existed back then or not). He was insanely kind and friendly and I remember instantly liking him.
He’s got such a great spirit and charisma about him — he makes everyone feel welcome and part of the “in club”, even if you’re brand new to a conversation. He’s not only a great engineer, he’s a great person and friend.
At one point, I even went through the full interview process with him at Cars.com and was so close to working with him, but my startup took off at the same time and I chose another route.
I’m shocked to learn about his passing, as I’m sure are many of you.
It pains me to think that the world has lost someone like Michael — someone full of positive energy, friendly joking, and technical passion. I don’t know what else to say except that I’m going to miss him so much.
Even in these last few years, although we’ve been living far apart, it always brought a smile to my face to see a message from him and quickly catch up.
R.I.P. You will be missed, my friend.
— Randall Degges, May 2025
Damn.
Michael stole me from a DoD contractor because i was Pylons & Pyrmaid web application hacking solutions in my spare time & chatting on IRC & launching a SaaS called linkpeek.
He hired me & Bobby Loves Linux for the same price each, i was remote Bobby had to drive in with his jeep or later his Prius. I am wearing a shirt bobby bought me, we were to work DevOps for newcars.com.
If i didn’t meet Michael i wouldn’t have learned Salt Stack or gone to any conferences, like Pycon or Linux Scale.
Michael, i will try to promote your style of goodwill through my life & works, I’ll always remember you.
Thanks again.
— Russell Ballestrini aka fxhp, May 2025
Michael Ryabushkin and I met in 2012 through Python community work. I don’t remember how we met, instead I remember his presence suddenly there, helping and aiding others.
Michael could be pushy. He was trying to help people reach their full potential. His energy and humor was relentless, I admired his tenacity and giving nature.While our coding preferences usually clashed, sometimes they matched. Then we would rant together about some tiny detail, those talks plus the silly Tai Chi dance we did are lovely memories I have of Michael.
In 2016 my wife Audrey had emergency surgery. For me that meant sleepless days taking care of her. Suddenly Michael’s presence was there. He took shifts, ran errands (including buying a wheelchair), and forced me to sleep. I am forever grateful to Michael for what he did for us.
In early 2020 Audrey and I got last minute approval to use a large conference space to organize an event called PyBeach. Michael heard about it and as always, suddenly his presence was there. He was not just a volunteer at large, but leading the conference with us. Michael and I had our shared code rants, did our silly Tai Chi dance, and he met our baby daughter.
Between the pandemic and us moving from the Los Angeles area I didn’t get the chance to see Michael again. I’ll miss our rants, our silly Tai Chi dance, and his sudden appearances.
— Daniel Roy Greenfeld, May 2025
It brings me tears to share memories of my dear friend Michael Ryabushkin, known to many as “Goodwill” – a name that reflected who he truly was. Together with many other meetup leaders over the years, Michael and I volunteered to co-organize more free Python community events than I can count – from outreach workshops to get women into coding, to 300-person LA Open Source hackathons to a big Python Web Summit at PyCon bringing together web framework leaders. In 2011, we ran a small SoCal Python spin-off group called LA Python, before he courageously took on leadership of the much larger SoCal Python group with thousands of members. The last thing we organized together was the PyBeach 2020 conference, right before the pandemic.
Michael wasn’t officially one of PyLadies’ founders, but he might as well have been. He spent countless hours in the PyLadies IRC channel with me, helping get it established, welcoming newcomers with me, and removing trolls. In person, whenever we had problems, he jumped to help, even meeting in person several times a week. His motivation was pure: he simply wanted to help, to work together, to be part of something bigger and help our community grow.
What made Michael special was how deeply he cared about everything he did. He was known to speak his mind directly, sometimes putting people off. Yet if he believed in you or knew you had good intentions, he was supportive above and beyond what you could ever have expected. Michael claimed he had a hidden agenda, that he was doing all this open source community volunteer work to build his team at Cars.com (and his work did in fact put the company on the map as the top local Python company). But we all knew how deep down it was way more than that, how he genuinely cared.
I remember spending a Saturday in the empty Cars.com office, hanging out with him and other programmers after lunch. We were randomly talking about coding interview questions at lunch, and the next thing I knew he had me at the whiteboard drawing out some weird data structure that only he could come up with. My understanding of it was totally different from what he was thinking, and yet we came out of discussing it with deep mutual respect, learning from each other. He loved to learn and experiment with ideas as much as he loved to teach and mentor. He also loved to sneakily interview people without them realizing what was happening until it was too late.
Michael helped me through my darkest moments, including when I was bedridden and unsure that I’d survive surgery. He visited me for long hours, overstaying in that caring way that only a family member does. He took shifts watching me so Danny could rest. He kept buying me my favorite foods well past the point I wanted to eat them. He ran errands, including dragging our mutual friend Esther Nam to shop with him for a wheelchair against my and Danny’s insistence, and refusing to let us pay him back.
Beneath his jokes and lighthearted exterior was a deeply sensitive soul who truly cared about making the world better. Michael was one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and most giving people I’ve ever met. His contributions to open source,to building the tech community in Los Angeles and beyond, and to making me a better Python developer and community leader were immeasurable. His legacy lives on in the global Python world and in everything I do today.
— Audrey M. Roy Greenfeld, May 2025
