My professional interest is the intersection of startups, machine learning, and engineering management. Currently, I’m leading the engineering organization at Assembled as we build AI agents for customer support.

Why ML + EM?

I’ve always been interested in pushing the boundary of what’s possible with ML and AI. Specifically, I’ve been motivated by the real-world applications of these new technologies – how can we turn these brand new capabilities into something that makes a difference, and actually makes our lives better?

In my early career, I was fortunate to be a part of some high-functioning engineering teams that consistently delivered on very hard problems. And I also have been a part of engineering teams which struggled to achieve results despite having truly talented engineers. I’ve come to believe that a core piece of the puzzle is engineering management, and I’ve spent a lot of my career trying to understand exactly what good engineering management is.

I think that building great machine learning teams is mostly the same as building great software engineering teams. But there are a few things which are even more important (and maybe a few which are less important). I’m still trying to learn and grow as an engineering leader, and my goal is to use this space to share what I’ve found and reflect on my journey.

Why startups?

In the post-ChatGPT era, I’ve found myself drawn back to the energy and pace of fast-growing startups. The rapid evolution of AI has made this an especially exciting time to help build something new from the ground up.

I also care a lot about culture and building the best possible engineering organization. Growth makes that possible.