My Views
At the beginning of my career, technology was an exciting place to be. The moment felt ripe with the potential to fix systems that had long been broken. A lot has changed since then but despite the current state of the tech industry and the world at large, I still believe that technology is broadly fueled by smart people who want to do good things in new ways (and cynicism and pessimism don’t solve problems).
On People
We are communal beings. The quality of our lives and careers is the direct result of how and with whom we engage. We can’t build meaningful solutions in innovative ways on our own.
With the frenzy of AI (a tool that by nature is deferential and agreeable), people who blindly jump on the bandwagon will be less and less remarkable and people who think critically and strategically about how to use AI effectively will become more important than ever.
On Design
Design has the capacity to solve many of the world’s problems. Most of the arenas that need good design don’t have access to it, and those that have means, often opt for dark patterns to serve short term financial ends.
For me design is less about aesthetics (which are subjective and transitory) and more about deeply understanding the “who” and “why,” finding simple solutions to complex problems, and/or rooting out friction from systems and flows.
On Work
It’s clear that companies can't grow indefinitely without sacrificing the quality of their products or the the wellbeing of their employees. I’ve seen how AI has transformed how I work in some ways but the “use AI because AI” approach seems sloppy and shortsighted.
I’m most interested in mission-driven work for organizations engaged in the thoughtful creation of meaningful solutions for real people – preferably employee owned, B Corps, or cooperatives.