Walker Technical
Ben Walker

About Me

Engineering leader and hands-on developer with a passion for building software that solves real problems.

From Self-Taught Programmer to Engineering Leader

I started my career as a self-taught programmer, building automation tools that transformed manual data entry processes. That early experience taught me something that's guided my entire career: technology is most valuable when it solves real problems for real people.

Over 15+ years, I've progressed from individual contributor to team lead to engineering manager to CTO—but I've never stopped writing code. Even while managing teams across multiple continents, I've maintained my technical edge because I believe the best engineering leaders stay hands-on.

When AI-assisted development tools emerged, I recognized their potential early. While others were skeptical, I dove in—building full-stack applications with Claude Code and integrating LLMs into production systems. That bet paid off: I now bring both the experience and the practical knowledge to help others navigate this new landscape.

Career Timeline

2025 - Present

Co-Founder & CTO

Legal Tech Startup (Stealth)

Solo-built a complete legal practice management platform using AI-assisted development. Implemented LLM integration with advanced cost optimization and document analysis capabilities.

2024 - Present

Engineering Manager

Conservice

Leading engineering teams while driving AI adoption. Member of AI Guild and early champion of Claude Code adoption across the organization.

2022 - 2024

Engineering Manager

tvScientific (acquired by Pinterest)

Led distributed teams of up to 10 engineers across multiple continents. Established async communication best practices for global collaboration.

2015 - 2022

Engineering Manager & Senior Engineer

Rakuten

Progressed from senior engineer to engineering manager. Led SSO consolidation project and managed high-availability reporting APIs.

2012 - 2015

Earlier Roles

Browz, Conservice

Built foundation in automation, data processing, and full-stack development. Pioneered PDF extraction and OCR systems processing tens of thousands of documents daily.

Technical Philosophy

Ship Working Software

Perfect architecture means nothing if it never ships. I prioritize working software over theoretical perfection, iterating based on real user feedback.

AI as a Multiplier

AI tools amplify what skilled developers can do—they don't replace the need for experience, judgment, and deep technical understanding.

Stay Hands-On

The best technical leaders write code. Maintaining hands-on skills keeps me grounded and makes me a better advisor and mentor.

Clear Communication

Technical excellence means nothing if stakeholders don't understand it. I translate complex concepts into clear business value.

Beyond Code

I'm based in Salt Lake City, Utah, but my perspective is global. I speak English and Polish fluently, with conversational German, and have lived in Poland, France, and Croatia.

This international experience shapes how I approach distributed teams and cross-cultural collaboration—something increasingly important in today's remote-first world.

For projects that need more than one person, I work with a trusted network of engineers and designers I've collaborated with over the years. You get the benefits of a team without the overhead of an agency.

Let's Build Something Together

Whether you need AI integration, full-stack development, or technical leadership, I'm here to help.