Secrets of an Excel Esports Player: How Pros Tap the True Power of Spreadsheets

We interviewed a heavy-duty Excel user and Esports player about what it takes to compete with spreadsheet masters.

- By Gordon Ung

Most people view Microsoft’s Excel as a simple “spreadsheet program” that’s rapidly being eclipsed by free web-based apps that can run on any cheap laptop.

Well, think again. Modern-day Excel is an advanced analytics tool that can push today’s fastest hardware to their limits, and it’s sexy enough that it rates its own esports coverage. No joke—thousands tuned in live to watch the Financial Modelling World Cup (fave. co/3LWzxQa) that was broadcast by ESPN (fave.co/3JP4R1l).

Intrigued by the interest of “gamers” and curious to see just how hard advanced Excel users are pushing the application, PCWorld decided to interview spreadsheet superstar Jason Moore. Moore is the head of analytics and data at an investment firm, and a semifinalist who won cold, hard cash in December’s Financial Modeling World Cup. Moore is also the same Excel expert who provided PCWorld with a workbook that we used to test the latest and greatest laptop CPUs (fave.co/3sbkwCh).

To find out how much hardware you need to push spreadsheets to their limits, what it’s like to be an Excel esports player, and just why Excel is so powerful, read on.

PCW: A lot of people have a hard time believing that Excel is an esport—is this for real?

Jason Moore: I still can’t believe it, but the comments from the >300,000 YouTube viewers that watched the FMWC finals (fave. co/3JP4R1l) don’t lie. The challenges were engaging and well designed, and everyone can appreciate a well-designed Excel formula.