Hi, I'm Steve Stern - Ex-Googler, Current Freelance Consultant
I thrive on architecting and deploying resilient, high-throughput systems, with a passion for translating complex business needs into innovative AI and LLM-powered solutions. I excel in fast-paced environments, driving technical strategy as a fractional CTO for scaling startups.
At a glance
Curated signals on strengths, focus areas, and how they can help.
Interned at Google, gaining expertise in building large-scale, high-performance software systems.
Currently works as a freelance Software Engineer and Fractional CTO, focusing on AI and LLM applications.
Can help others by providing strategic technical direction and architecting scalable, highly available software.
🚀 Career trajectory
Foundation at Google
Gained deep expertise in building and maintaining large-scale, high-performance software systems.
✦ Software Engineering
✦ Distributed Systems
Transition to Consulting
Began offering independent software consulting and fractional CTO services, starting in 2019.
✦ Freelance
✦ CTO Services
Expanding Specialization
Focused on modern tech stacks, cloud-native applications, AI, and LLMs across various engagements.
✦ Cloud Applications
✦ AI/ML
✦ LLMs
Current Engagements
Actively engaged in freelance consulting and software engineering roles, including LaunchDarkly.
✦ Software Consulting
✦ Contracting
💪🏻 Superpowers
Architecting Resilient Systems
Designing and maintaining software for extreme performance and availability.
✦ Expertise in high-throughput, low-latency, and highly available distributed systems.
✦ Proven ability to build scalable infrastructure using AWS, Kafka, and Elasticsearch.
✦ Skilled in modern languages like Python, Go, and Java for diverse project needs.
Bridging Business and Technology
Translating customer needs into practical, innovative software solutions.
✦ Creative problem-solver focused on understanding larger business objectives.
✦ Experience in developing AI and LLM-powered applications and chatbots.
✦ Adept at managing software development lifecycles from concept to deployment.
Agile Freelance Leadership
Providing fractional CTO and consulting services for dynamic growth.
✦ Currently seeking long or short-term freelance/contracting engagements.
✦ Offers flexible full-time or part-time support for immediate impact.
✦ Leverages past experience at major tech firms for strategic guidance.
I'm excited about
✦ Discovering innovative startups that are pushing the boundaries of AI and distributed systems.
✦ Connecting with forward-thinking companies seeking to scale their technology infrastructure.
✦ Exploring opportunities to contribute as a fractional CTO or lead architect on challenging projects.
I can help with
✦ Provide expert guidance on designing and implementing scalable, high-availability software.
✦ Offer strategic direction for product development, particularly in AI and LLM applications.
✦ Serve as a fractional CTO to steer technical strategy and execution for growing businesses.
I would love your help on
✦ Identifying emerging companies in the AI and distributed systems space.
✦ Finding challenging contract opportunities that require deep technical expertise.
✦ Connecting with potential collaborators on cutting-edge open-source projects.
