About Me
I’ve spent 25 years building developer tools and AI products at companies like Microsoft, AWS, and Capital One. I co-founded Amazon Q Developer (formerly CodeWhisperer), scaled Visual Studio, and currently lead product strategy for Developer Experience at a Fortune 100 company.
But here’s what most people don’t see: the messy middle of building products. The hard trade-offs. The strategic pivots that feel like failures until they’re wins. The tension between what’s technically possible and what’s actually useful.
Why this, why now
AI is transforming how we build software faster than any shift I’ve seen in my career. Everyone’s talking about it. But most conversations stay at the surface—demos and hype and percentage statistics that don’t tell you much.
I want to write about the reality: How do you actually build products with AI? How do you measure if AI tools are making your team better or just busier? What does it mean to lead product teams when the technology changes every six months?
What you’ll find here
This is where I explore:
- AI-powered development – Beyond the hype, what actually works
- Product management – Strategy, frameworks, lessons from 25 years of building
- Platform thinking – How to build tools developers actually want to use
- Leadership – Managing teams, making hard calls, learning from mistakes
What to expect
One long-form post every week. Topics range from technical deep-dives (how AI agents handle failure modes) to product strategy (measuring outcomes vs. outputs) to career reflections.
I write for product leaders, engineering managers, and anyone building developer tools or working with AI. If you’re trying to figure out how AI changes your work—not just what’s possible, but what’s actually useful—this is for you.
Free vs. paid
Everything is free for now. I’m writing to think clearly and connect with people, not to monetize. If that changes, I’ll be transparent about it.
Where To Find Me
I’m cross-posting everything to this site and Substack, which makes it easy to build community around writing. I want conversations, not just readers. If something I write sparks a thought, hit comment. I read and respond to everything.
What I’m not doing
- Selling you on AI tools (I’ve built them; I know the limitations)
- Pretending I have all the answers (I’m figuring this out like everyone else)
- Writing corporate thought leadership (this is personal, sometimes messy, always honest)
Let’s build this together
I’m experimenting here. Some posts will be technical. Some will be strategic. Some will be personal reflections on career and leadership. The through-line is: I’m thinking out loud about how we build better products in the age of AI.
If that sounds interesting, subscribe. If you’re working on similar problems, reach out. I’m looking for interesting conversations, not just readers.
See you soon.
—Doug
A Bit More About Me
I’m a product leader focused on reimagining how developers build and deliver software in the age of AI. Currently, I’m currently the Managing Vice President of Product Management for Developer Experience at Capital One, where I’m responsible for the entire software development and delivery process—from the moment developers start writing code to the moment that code runs in production.
What I Do Now
At Capital One, I lead product management across the full spectrum of developer experience: AI-powered coding tools and agentic solutions, test automation, vulnerability remediation, and our software delivery pipeline platform. It’s an end-to-end view of the developer journey, which means my teams and I get to think holistically about how every stage of development can work better together.
This builds directly on my previous work at Amazon Web Services, where I led teams creating Amazon CodeWhisperer, an AI coding companion that brings context-aware code suggestions and intelligent assistance directly into developers’ workflows. CodeWhisperer learns from billions of lines of code to help developers work faster and write better code—the kind of tool I wish I’d had during my own years writing code.
How I Got Here
My path through technology has always been about creating tools that empower developers. I started at Microsoft in 1999, left to co-found DotNetJunkies (one of the first developer communities built on the .NET Framework), and then returned to Microsoft where I spent years shaping Visual Studio, .NET Framework, and developer experiences for Windows Store apps.
Later, I joined Telerik as EVP of Black Ops to build Icenium, an integrated cloud environment that let developers build cross-platform mobile apps using web technologies—an early glimpse of the cloud-powered development experiences that are now becoming standard.
Returning to Microsoft, I led innovation teams working on Azure IoT, connected vehicles, and healthcare data platforms. I built the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform (now powering cars from Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, and others) and helped launch Azure Maps. I also created the Microsoft Azure Health Data Services for FHIR, exploring how cloud and AI could unlock insights from healthcare data.
What Drives Me
Throughout my career, I’ve been drawn to opportunities where emerging technologies can solve real problems. Whether it’s using the cloud to untether developers from platform constraints, applying machine learning to healthcare data, or using generative AI to accelerate software development—I’m energized by projects that open new possibilities.
I believe the best products come from diverse teams bringing different perspectives together. I’ve built and led teams at the intersection of cloud computing, AI, and developer tools, always focused on creating products that developers actually want to use, not just tools that check feature boxes.
Beyond the Day Job
When I’m not thinking about developer experiences, I write techno-thrillers (turns out my early attempt at being an industrial-rock star translated better into fiction than music). I also blog here about product management, software development, and the evolving landscape of how we build and ship software.
Let’s Connect
I’m always interested in conversations about AI-assisted development, product strategy, or the future of developer tools. You can find me on LinkedIn or reach out through this blog.
Fun fact: I had nine different offices across seven years at Microsoft. Lesson learned: never fully unpack.
Doug Seven 