So I left my job at the end of September. Without getting into painful details, let’s just say the promises of AI fell far short at my prior employer – both from a technology and expertise perspective – and I found that I prefer to work with AI, not for it. Or more to the point, I don’t like working for people who have little vision or experience beyond what AI can provide them.
OK, ouch.
But to be honest, that’s being awful kind given the reality of my former manager’s incompetence.
So sorry, not sorry too.
I really needed to revisit what innovation and hard work meant in a world where AI is nipping at the heels of every job, every role, every industry. And what experience and seasoning means in a world that now generally looks for their advice from a synthetic LLM.
I had to look back at a career spanning some of the most influential companies in the tech and design space. Having held key roles at LinkedIn, Lynda.com, Adobe, Macromedia, Metacreations, and HSC Software, I’d originally built a reputation for combining technical expertise with innovative design thinking. My work across these differing companies and markets has given me a unique perspective on digital experiences, content strategies, and creative tools, and ABSOLUTELY shaped my approach to solving complex challenges.
And that’s what I do best. I break through limits and constraints, and find creative solutions to tricky problems with a creative, empathic eye. AI can do the first part very well. But it will never do the second part in a truly human way. And when I used AI, I didn’t look at it as a force eliminator, but a force multiplier.
So today, I’m the principle at Brilliant Mindworks, a dynamic and scrappy creative consultancy I founded up here in the Sierra Foothills of California. Now to be fair, it’s really just myself and a few teams of AI agents to let me focus on the important and creative parts of my work, and most all of my projects are remote and international. But I have friends, partners and colleagues in about every corner of the world, and of the creative and tech industries – ready to help when a problem exceeds my capacity.
Brilliant Mindworks specializes in strategic projects of all kinds, from digital product experiences to brand-focused initiatives. I like to focus on high-impact solutions for clients who value creativity and precision in their products, campaigns or projects. If you’re looking for innovative and thoughtful design strategies that truly elevate a plan, I’m your guy and we’re your agency. Click around and learn more.