I chase problemsworth solving,not technologies.

Software engineer building AI-powered products, frontend platforms, and scalable developer systems. I combine nearly two decades of software engineering experience with modern AI orchestration, React, TypeScript, server architecture, and enterprise platform engineering.

Ask A.J.Explore my engineering work

System · v4.2 · shipping

tokens.ts

export const semantic = {
  color: {
    action:  { primary: 'brand.600' },
    surface: { raised:  'neutral.50' },
    text:    { primary: 'neutral.900' },
  },
  space:  { 1: 4, 2: 8, 3: 12, 4: 16 },
  motion: { ease: 'cubic-bezier(.22,1,.36,1)' },
} as const;

ID · 001

Est. 2001

AJ Barnett

Systems Engineer · Judgment

Problems · Judgment · Systems

Featured Experience

Ask A.J.
is the portfolio proof.

A production AI agent designed and engineered by AJ Barnett, built to show how intelligent product experiences work when the model is only one piece of a resilient system.

Try Ask A.J.Read the case study

OpenAI Responses API with server-owned context

NDJSON streaming for visible, responsive answers

Request validation, origin checks, and cost controls

Retries, fallback model, cached answers, and graceful degradation

Curated portfolio knowledge with retrieval-ready structure

React and TypeScript interface built for recruiter conversations

What I carry into the room

Breadth,
with depth.

A staff engineer's job is holding the whole product in mind, frontend, backend, systems, the seams between them, and knowing which lever to pull first. Frameworks come and go. These disciplines compound.

How I think

01
AI Application Engineering
Server-side model integration, streamed interfaces, fallback models, circuit breaking, validation, and cost-aware production behavior.
02
Frontend Architecture
Interfaces designed for change, not for demos. Boundaries first, then components.
03
Backend & System Design
API contracts, data shape, service seams. The parts of the product no user sees, but every user feels.
04
Product Engineering
Ship the outcome, not the ticket. Own the surface area from problem to release.
05
Technical Leadership
Multiply teams. Lower ambiguity. Make the next decision cheaper than the last.
06
Design Systems
Tokens, primitives, motion, docs, accessibility, one chapter of the work, not the thesis.
07
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 as product quality, verified, never a compliance checkbox.
08
AI as Leverage
Model-assisted workflows used to widen the surface I can hold. Execution accelerates. Judgment stays human.
09
Engineering Judgment
The compounding asset. Knowing which problems are worth solving, and which tradeoffs to refuse.

End of Chapter One

The next chapter
is being written.

If your team is building something worth showing up for, I'd love to hear about it.

Start a conversation Read field notes

I chase problemsworth solving,not technologies.

Ask A.J.is the portfolio proof.

Breadth,with depth.

AI Application Engineering

Frontend Architecture

Backend & System Design

Product Engineering

Technical Leadership

Design Systems

Accessibility

AI as Leverage

Engineering Judgment

The next chapteris being written.

Ask A.J.
is the portfolio proof.

Breadth,
with depth.

The next chapter
is being written.