About Mike
I'm a senior IT professional based in Roswell, Georgia. Twenty plus years across enterprise software, agile leadership, and full stack development. Most of that time at AT&T, in roles ranging from Release Train Engineer over a six team ART to senior full stack developer to my current scope as QA Lead. WTX Labs is the consulting practice I run on the side. Before AT&T, I spent nearly a decade working directly for the owner of Enterprise Integration Services, delivering web applications across banking, healthcare, nonprofit, and faith based clients.
How I work.
Two things shape almost everything I do.
The first is that I figure things out instead of memorizing them. I'm comfortable making errors in the first hour because I know the first hour isn't where the job gets done. When I'm handed a problem nobody's solved, I tinker in real time. I won't say something can't be done.
The second is a deliberate two pass rhythm. I get a working solution out of the mess first, then I go back and clean it up. Most engineers either over plan or ship the first thing that compiles. The two pass approach is how I've consistently shipped things that other people had given up on. It's also how effective AI assisted development works in 2026, which is convenient.
Where I lead from.
I haven't had direct reports on a typical org chart. I've led through what I've built. The platforms I shipped at AT&T became the systems other teams ran their work through. The contractor team I managed delivered without missing a date. The Release Train I ran led six engineering teams through three full Program Increments end to end.
There are two ways to lead inside an organization. One is through the people who report to you. The other is through the platforms other teams depend on. I've done the second one. I'm comfortable taking direct reports in the next role.
What I believe about the work.
I think the loudest person in the room is usually not the most useful one. I think hiring experts and then telling them what to do is a waste of money; you hire experts so they can tell you what to do. I think most "leadership" content rewards visibility over substance, and I'd rather be the person who built the thing the org runs on than the person who got the LinkedIn applause for "leading the charge."
This is also why I write about AI the way I do. The hype takes are saturated. The interesting question is what we're rehearsing for next.
Credentials.
SAFe 6 Release Train Engineer (certified). SAFe 6 Product Owner / Product Manager (certified). Quickbase Foundations (certified). Experience across JavaScript, HTML, RHEL, React, Next.js, AWS. Atlanta based, GA 400 corridor.