The internet was supposed to be better than this.
I know, because I was there. I've been building on the web since the 90's - before javascript, before social media, before any of it. I watched the early, wide, weird internet get swallowed by platforms designed to extract our attention and sell it.
I watched the best engineers of my generation disappear into Facebook and Google and build elegant, terrible machines that addicted us and turned our time - our literal lives - into an extra zero in a billionaire's bank account.
And then, four years ago, AI happened - and we were back at the start again. You could do anything, teach computers to do things that used to be impossible. Since then, I've built cutting-edge AI reasoning systems for high-stakes decisions, creating agents and processes that augmented human intelligence, instead of replacing it.
But as I worked, I've watched the same cycle start to repeat - cynical, money-at-all-costs companies are scooping up talent, trying to build a better, more addictive terrible machine. Saw even more cynical companies straight-out trying to replace people with LLMs. When I stepped back, I knew I needed to do something more radical. I needed to put this tech into the hands of the rest of us - and the best of us.
So I stepped away from the recruiting offers and the gleaming maws.
And instead of building things for them, I started building things for us.
I'm Steven.
I build things that help people, and I empower people who are helping people.
Things that actually help us. Get us off our devices and un-addicted. Help us figure out what we care about, get unstuck, get more purpose in our lives and less bullshit. Help us navigate our imperfect brains, and all the neurodivergence and mental health challenges and beauty that's part of being human.
And I put the latest tech in the hands of folks who are doing real good in the world. I work with non-profits and social good organizations to help them learn how all this stuff works, build capacity with the teams they already have, and create the mission-driven tools they actually need.
What's that mean in practice? Well, two things - I make tools for us human beings, and I do consulting for folks who are doing good.
Fairly-priced, no-subscription tools that help you get clear, and get moving.
Your computer should work for you, not the other way around. That goes double if you're out here trying to help the world.
If you don't feel that way, I can help. I consult with non-profits, social enterprises and mission-driven teams to help them understand the latest tech, align it with their mission, and rapidly build and easily maintain the tools they actually need.
I've spent the last four years building AI at the highest levels - reasoning systems, decision-making tools, things that genuinely augment human intelligence instead of replacing it with AI slop. I know what this technology can do, and I know what it can't.
And I've spent years working with non-profits and social good orgs - as a consultant, a founder, a volunteer, and a regular donor. I even co-founded a company a decade ago to focus on putting good tools into the hands of small non-profits. You're built different as organizations, and I get it.
If you work for a non-profit or social enterprise, and you think AI might be useful in what you're doing, let's talk. Please drop me a note at [email protected].
I send out occasional emails when I release a new project. If you want to get them, sign up below.
No spam. No automated emails. No creepy tracking. Just a normal email from an actual person.
Either way, thanks for stopping by.
-Steven