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 watched the same cycle start to repeat — cynical, money-at-all-costs companies scooping up talent, trying to build a better, more addictive terrible machine. 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.
Who am I?
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? Two things — I make tools for us human beings, and I do consulting for folks who are doing good.
Tools for actual human beings
Fairly-priced, no-subscription tools that help you get clear, and get moving.
Front of the Napkin
See if that idea is worth pursuing.
Real research on the idea you're kicking around — competitors, search demand, pricing, market gaps. Data, not vibes.
The No-Bullshit Guide to Depression
The field guide we all should have been given.
Friendly, research-backed, and honest. If you deal with depression or know somebody who does, it can help.
Mindful Browsing
Break the scroll.
Gently breaks addictive sites' and apps' power over you, and reminds you to do the things you love. A free, open-source Chrome extension.
Two-Year Life Plan
Live with purpose.
A three-week course that helps you understand your values, make goals that fit them, and build the habits to go get them.
7-Day Sprint
Get unstuck.
One hour a day for seven days to get unstuck on anything, and get moving. If you're in a rut, this gets you out of it.
Meet the Board
See your blind spots.
An AI-powered advisory board for your life, your company, or whatever you're stuck on.
For organizations doing good
AI consulting for organizations doing real good in the world.
Your computer should work for you, not the other way around. That goes double if you're out here trying to help the world.
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 put 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. Drop me a note at [email protected], or see some of what I've built →
I make things. Rather a lot of them.
I send out occasional emails when I release something new. If you'd like them, sign up below.
No spam. No automated emails. No creepy tracking. Just a regular email from me.
Thanks for stopping by.
— Steven