48º North

48° North Services

Expert Advisory

When you need answers fast.

60-90 minute deep dives into quantum, AI, blockchain, or other frontier tech. Perfect when the board meeting is tomorrow, or you need to make a decision quickly. We’ll cut through the hype together. You'll leave knowing exactly what matters.

Assessment & Research

Independent evaluation of your technology strategy.

2-6 week embedded evaluation of your technology strategy and capabilities. I'll assess your teams, review your approach, and deliver written findings plus a leadership presentation. You'll know exactly what's working, what's broken, and how to fix it.

Implementation & Change

Hands-on transformation leadership.

2-6 month transformation programs to rebuild how your organization operates. After an assessment, I'll architect new frameworks, establish technical standards, and guide the cultural shift until it sticks. The changes outlast my engagement.

I spent 33 years at Microsoft,
rising from developer to partner-level executive,
creating transformative products you use every day.

My career started as a programmer, building developer tools that shaped how software got written in the '90s. During the browser wars, I led Internet Explorer through its dominant growth phase. When Microsoft felt an existential threat from Sony's entertainment platform, I co-founded Xbox, then built Xbox Live from zero into Microsoft's global online gaming ecosystem. Driven by my passion for science, I led Azure Quantum, turning theoretical research into a commercial cloud service. A string of hits — not experiments or near-misses — that generated billions in revenue.

Since leaving Microsoft in 2022, I founded 48° North to work with leaders, innovators, and investors facing frontier technology challenges. Through this work, I've helped Ford transform their 800-person program organization to compete on software-defined vehicles; advised multi-billion-dollar investment funds on the quantum and AI opportunities in their pipeline; transformed a leading energy supplier's global IT organization from legacy operations to product-centric delivery; and helped digital entertainment companies narrow dozens of strategic ideas to the critical, fully-aligned fundable bets.

Outside of work, I serve as CTO and co-owner of the Seattle Seawolves professional rugby team and have helped raise over one million dollars for Seattle Humane through the years. I still write code when I can.