Alex Tchang is a Stanford classmate from San Diego (858 area code). Vimeo: alextchang. He started as a mechanical engineering student, and Amy tried to convince him to switch to Product Design + ME coterm. He eventually shifted his career toward filmmaking.
SAMA
Alex is part of the "SAMA Architects" group: Sam Ogunsanya, Alex, Michaël, and Amy. They also share the 🧢🪨 group chat (nearly 8,000 messages with Amy and Sam). "Cap rock" is likely an inside joke. This is one of Amy's core Stanford friend groups.
Film
Alex made a film called "Before Dawn" (released December 2024, on Vimeo). He interned at a film production company in Shanghai (summer 2025), then returned to Stanford for his MS-ME (fall 2025). The career drift from mechanical engineering to film is significant. He is proof that Stanford ME students can leave the pipeline.
He recommended Violet Evergarden to Amy: "one of those shows that lives inside you."
The Assault
In July 2024, Amy told Alex about her sexual assault: "I got sexually assaulted by someone who I thought was my friend." Alex recommended "taking a short break from the startup" for mental health. He checked on her. She also told Nicole Hsing the same month.
The fact that Amy told Alex, a friend from a group chat, about something this serious, says something about the trust level within the SAMA group.
Other Details
He plays cello and was making a cello case as an art project with a Stanford Arts grant. He has a brother. He went through periods of going quiet: "I haven't been responsive... super busy with new gf, film."
Significance
~5,800 messages. November 2022 to October 2025. Alex represents the Stanford friend who took the non-obvious path. While Amy, Catherine, and others went through the Apple-to-startup pipeline, Alex went to Shanghai to make films. His friendship with Amy cooled as their paths diverged, but it remained warm.