Customers don't care how elegant your code is.
They care if it works and if you can explain it when it doesn't.
Here's the truth most companies are missing: traditional development practices are becoming obsolete. AI partnership isn't the future. It's the present. And the people who understand how to build WITH AI, not just use it as a tool, are defining what technical work looks like in 2025.
I spent 15 years in customer-facing roles - managing relationships, explaining technical complexity, solving problems under pressure. Then I learned to build the solutions myself - using AI as a development partner to ship at 10x speed. No bullsh*t. No excuses.
Just production software that solves real problems.
Projects Built (43 days)
Self-directed learning through hands-on building: pre-launch Micro-SaaS, personal tools, and infrastructure
Anthropic Models Manager
Centralized AI model management serving 10+ production apps
THE WORK
- •Fully automated model detection via daily cron (zero-touch updates)
- •TypeScript-based API serving live model configs to production apps
- •A/B testing dashboard with usage analytics and cost monitoring
- •Vercel Edge Functions + Neon PostgreSQL architecture
- •Public demo with clean, documented codebase
TECH STACK
IMPACT
Fly Voice Agent
Multi-tenant voice AI platform with real-time conversations
THE WORK
- •Real-time voice AI with <200ms end-to-end latency
- •WebSocket streaming: Deepgram STT → Groq LLM → Cartesia TTS
- •Auto-scaling on Fly.io (0→1 in <5 seconds)
- •AI provider auto-switching with Groq/Gemini fallback
- •Multi-tenant architecture with isolated data and webhooks
TECH STACK
IMPACT
Pre-Launch Micro-SaaS
AI-powered answering service for small businesses
THE WORK
- •28-table PostgreSQL database schema for multi-tenant architecture
- •Integrated 5 APIs: Twilio, Stripe, Resend, Claude, Mailgun
- •Subscription billing system with tiered plans and prepaid balance
- •Mobile-responsive PWA with real-time call playback
- •PM2 worker pools for background job processing
TECH STACK
IMPACT
Personal Dashboard Suite
6 interconnected productivity tools for personal use
THE WORK
- •JWT authentication across subdomains with session sharing
- •CSRF middleware protection pattern for state-changing endpoints
- •Multi-service architecture with centralized user management
- •Security retrofit: identified and fixed 19 vulnerable endpoints
- •Hybrid Vercel + Digital Ocean deployment
TECH STACK
IMPACT
File Upload Microservice
S3-compatible upload handler for large files
THE WORK
- •Digital Ocean Spaces (S3-compatible) integration
- •Nginx reverse proxy with SSL termination
- •PM2 cluster with 2 instances and auto-restart
- •CORS handling for cross-origin uploads
- •Handles 500MB+ files efficiently
TECH STACK
IMPACT
Security Hardening Practice
CSRF protection implementation across projects
THE WORK
- •Identified CSRF vulnerabilities in 19 API endpoints
- •Created reusable withCsrf() middleware wrapper
- •Built security utilities library (token generation, validation)
- •Documented best practices in "Security Bible"
- •Zero-downtime rollout across 4 subdomains
TECH STACK
IMPACT
Open Source & Explorations
Side projects exploring different domains and technologies
GIF Recorder (Chrome Extension)
Screen recording with server-side ffmpeg conversion
THE WORK
- •Chrome extension using getDisplayMedia API for screen recording
- •Express server with ffmpeg palette-optimized WebM→GIF conversion
- •Background job queue with auto-cleanup after 1 hour
- •Animated icon states (green=ready, red pulse=recording)
- •Configurable FPS, resolution, and quality settings
TECH STACK
IMPACT
BrightnessControl (macOS Native App)
Systems programming exploration: DDC/CI hardware control
THE WORK
- •Native Swift app for macOS status bar (AppKit, CoreGraphics, IOKit)
- •DDC/CI protocol build for external display control (M-series ARM64)
- •Gamma table manipulation for software-based brightness adjustment
- •Clean architecture with 11 distinct modules (zero dependencies)
- •Keyboard shortcut system with visual overlay feedback
TECH STACK
IMPACT
Tech Stack & Tools
Technologies I use to build, deploy, and manage production systems
Cloud & Infrastructure
APIs & Integrations
Databases & DevOps
AI & Development Tools
The AI Partnership Model
How I ship 10x faster than traditional development
My approach to development is different. I leverage AI tools like Claude Code not as a crutch, but as a true development partner. I provide the vision, business logic, and architectural decisions. AI handles the implementation details.
This partnership allows me to ship features faster and maintain higher code quality than traditional solo development.
I Bring:
- • Business requirements & creative vision
- • Architectural decisions & system design
- • Customer research & problem identification
- • Production troubleshooting & debugging
AI Brings:
- • Implementation speed & efficiency
- • Code pattern recognition
- • Best practice suggestions
- • Documentation generation
Result: Production software in 43 days that would traditionally take 6+ months.
This isn't about shortcuts. It's about working smarter with modern tools.
The Combination
Most technical roles need both customer communication and technical execution.
Most people only have one.
I have both.
Customer-Facing (15 Years)
Understanding What Customers NeedFounder & Creative Strategist
PureForward Media (2021-2023)
Meta Ads Specialist
Vertex Marketing Agency (2022-Present)
- • $80K+ monthly ad spend across 3+ accounts
- • 95%+ client retention through market volatility
- • Asynchronous international client partners
Skills Developed:
- Explaining technical complexity to non-technical stakeholders
- Managing customer relationships through implementation challenges
- Troubleshooting under pressure with incomplete information
- Having direct, respectful conversations when things aren't working
- Understanding business requirements and translating to technical specs
Technical Execution (43 days)
Building What They NeedAI & LLM Integration:
Claude API integration and prompt engineering, conversational AI design, RAG-style architecture
Development:
JavaScript, React, Node.js, RESTful API integration, serverless architecture (Vercel), PostgreSQL (28-table schema)
Integration & Automation:
6-platform API architecture (Twilio, Cal.com, Stripe, Bland.ai, Make.com, Neon)
What 43 days Proves:
- Production software while working full-time
- AI-native development from day one
- Focus on working solutions, not perfect code
- Tried multiple approaches until it worked
- Self-directed learning without hand-holding
- Real deployments, not tutorials
This combination is rare and valuable for customer-facing technical roles:
What's the Catch?
43 days of building. 15 years of talking to customers.
I won't pretend I have 5 years of backend experience.
But I can build technical solutions, troubleshoot when they break, and explain what happened without making customers feel stupid.
For customer-facing technical roles, that combination matters.
If you need someone who can:
- Implement solutions
- Debug production issues
- Communicate clearly under pressure
- Learn your stack fast
- Work without hand-holding
...then let's talk.
Let's Build Something
Interested in working together? Get in touch.
Built with modern tools and AI partnership
© 2025 Cameron O'Brien