By By Ethan Knox ’20
Publication Date: 2025-12-01 00:00:00
For many, the Microsoft program Excel is just a way to simplify their workday. It’s the most popular spreadsheet in the world, with more than 750 million users. A significantly smaller number, however, use Excel quite differently: as a global esports platform.
And this year, a Binghamton graduate has qualified for this global competition’s in-person finals.
“My colleagues kept telling me I’d be perfect for this competition, so I decided to give it a shot. It was a chance to put my analytical and problem-solving skills that I learned both from my career and Binghamton to the test,” said Alexander Freedman ’15. “This was my first year competing, and I’m thrilled to have finished 29th worldwide and seventh in the U.S. Now I’m heading to Las Vegas to compete in the World Championship!”
The 2025 Microsoft Excel World Championship, held from Dec. 1–3, turns spreadsheets into high-stakes arenas, where the world’s top modelers and…
