Considered reflections that pull together experience, pattern, and perspective written slowly, shaped with care, and intended to be revisited over time.
Essays
We need three standards working together, and we need them to be mandatory. Right now, there is fragmented work happening across three critical areas: portable user context, intelligent routing across models and providers, and standardised inference APIs. Each piece exists in different states of maturity. None of them are formalised
Essays
I had Kobe beef in Kyoto last December. I looked forward to it, it was on my todo for that trip. It was extraordinary. The kind of meal you count yourself lucky to experience if only once. The difference between Kobe and regular beef isn't subtle, it'
Career
The Startup CTO exists to design, build, and operate the platform as the lead engineer, lead SRE, and lead operations person, while being deeply embedded in product decisions, establishing confidence with investors and leadership, and validating product-market fit. Preamble Throughout this essay, when I refer to "technology"
Essays
The Scale-up CTO exists to support the organization's long-term strategic goals by designing and building the capability required coming out of startup phase into iteration on iteration of scale phases sustainability, reliably and cost-effectively. Preamble Throughout this essay, when I refer to "technology"
Essays
In February 2026, I wrote that this would be the year commerce leaves the web. I meant it literally: the websites you browse to in your browser aren't where transactions happen anymore. They're moving into the AI assistant. At the time, that prediction came with significant
Essays
Here's the thing about enterprise software: it's built in layers. You've got systems that hold data. You've got interfaces that let people access that data. For decades, those interfaces were either desktop applications or websites. Both work the same way, they (typically)
Essays
Why APIs aren’t the interface agents need We’ve learned this lesson once already. There was a time when APIs were shaped too closely to the systems behind them — thin layers over databases, service boundaries leaking straight through. It worked, but it made those APIs harder to use and
AI
What Boards Should Be Asking in 2026 Websites are not disappearing this year. But for the first time in the history of digital commerce, decision-making is beginning to move outside them. That shift, however gradual has strategic implications now. The conversation about AI in enterprises has largely focused on
Essays
There are moments in technology where the interface changes and with it, the power structure behind it. The web browser did this. Mobile apps did this. Marketplaces did this. 2026 will be remembered as the year commerce shifts from the enterprise-owned channel to the AI Assistant. Not as a
Essays
If there is one thing that I’m constantly encouraging my team to do, it’s to get into alignment with each other. You know the pattern: close the door, everyone has their say, debate the issue properly, and when we leave the room we’ve all signed up to