The questions that usually come up in a first conversation.
What tech stack do you prefer?
Whatever fits the problem and the team that has to maintain it. Day to day, I reach for Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and React, with Python for data and computer vision work and AWS for hosting. I’ve also shipped on Java and Liferay, .NET, Vue, and Angular. I’d rather learn the stack a team already knows than force a new one in.
How do you approach a new project?
I start with discovery: how the business actually runs, who uses the system, and what success looks like. Then I make the plan visible with a roadmap and stories everyone can read, and we ship in small pieces so people see progress early and we can adjust as we learn.
What do you do when a project is already in trouble?
Get the facts first. I talk to the people closest to the work, read the code, and look at the data. Then I lay out what I found, with options and trade-offs, so leaders can decide with real information. Where possible, the old system keeps running until the new one is ready, so the business never has to stop.
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a technical decision.
On a banking platform, the plan was to build the front end in React, but it kept fighting the platform’s own module loading. Instead of arguing preferences, I proved the conflict, proposed the platform’s native approach, and worked it through with the lead backend engineer and the platform specialist until we agreed. The team ended up with a simpler, more maintainable foundation.
How do you work with non-technical stakeholders?
I translate. I explain technical trade-offs in business terms, write decisions down, and bring options instead of ultimatums. When the work is done, I train people to run it themselves, so they aren’t waiting on a developer for routine changes.
How do you use AI in your work?
Every day, with guardrails. I build with Claude Code, Cursor, and OpenAI Codex, and I give the tools clear requirements, roadmaps, and stories. In the products I build, AI proposes and a person approves: nothing is sent, booked, or changed without a human click, and cost and security controls are built in from day one.
How do you help a team grow?
By teaching. I’ve mentored engineers on enterprise teams, I teach coding to homeschool students, and I’m a karate instructor. I share what I know and write things down, so knowledge doesn’t live in one person’s head.
What are you like to work with?
Calm and direct. I stay steady under pressure, bring options and evidence so decisions are easier, write things down, and would rather make my team look good than make noise.
Do you still run your own business?
Yes. It’s in maintenance mode and self-sustaining, so it doesn’t compete for my time or attention.
