About

# Builder, engineer, founder.

I build AI products that help people learn, create, and grow more confident.

-   For adults: guides and frameworks for AI-assisted work.
-   For children: SayMake, a maker studio.
-   For founders: [private advisory](https://sunnypatneedi.com/work-with-me). Requests are paused right now.

[See my work](https://sunnypatneedi.com/projects)[Contact](https://sunnypatneedi.com/contact)

## How I work

I start with the people and the problem. I listen, explore what could help, and build a first version to test. My goal is to turn a promising idea into something useful, then learn from how people use it.

AI should scaffold thinking, not surrender it.

1B+

Users reached

Across Apple and Microsoft products

20 years

Systems experience

Apple · Microsoft · Salesforce

## Strengths

### Engineering at scale

My teams shipped iOS 16 Transit cards and fares in Maps, EV routing in Maps and CarPlay, and 3D Maps.

### AI products from zero

I build AI products alone, from idea to prototype, with agentic harness loops, pgvector retrieval, and runtime security checks.

### Learning design

I write public frameworks that keep the important decisions with the learner.

## My story

01

### Systems at scale

I spent 20 years building software, data, and ML systems at Microsoft, Salesforce, and Apple. I learned that defaults decide what people do. The same tool can build capability or wear it down.

02

### A parent's question

As a parent, I saw how easily tools do the thinking for a kid. I want young people to make real decisions about their own work.

03

### Building SayMake

SayMake is my AI-supported maker studio for young builders. Kids choose, build, test, and improve. The AI coaches. It does not build for them.

04

### The mission

My life's mission is to help more young people build the skills, confidence, and agency to shape their own future.

SayMake, my frameworks, and my talks all serve that goal.

## What I'm looking for

I want to own a consequential AI product, end to end, inside a strong team.

### End to end

1.  Customer problem
2.  Technical choices
3.  Launch
4.  Measured results

### The mandate

-   Direct access to customers
-   Authority to make product and technical decisions
-   Capable colleagues
-   One outcome I am accountable for

My evidence: my teams shipped Apple Maps features. As a founder, I build products end to end.

[Discuss a role](https://sunnypatneedi.com/contact#topics)

## Career timeline

At Apple and Microsoft, I worked on complex systems. As a founder, I bring that experience to hands-on product building: connecting the vision to the technical details, bringing people together and taking ownership when the path is unclear.

From Microsoft and Salesforce to Apple Maps and SayMake.

1.  Founder
    
    SayMake · San Francisco·Apr 2025 — PresentNow
    
    ### Founder & solo builder
    
    0→1AI/MLFull-Stack
    
    I build AI products in learning, parenting, and LLM security. Each stays marked unverified until I check its public flow.
    
2.  Scaler
    
    Apple Maps · Cupertino, CA·Jan 2018 — Jan 2025 · 7 years
    
    ### Senior software engineering manager (M2)
    
    0→1ScaleLeadership
    
    My teams shipped iOS 16 Transit cards and fares in Maps, EV routing in Maps and CarPlay, and 3D Maps.
    
3.  Salesforce · San Francisco·2015 — 2018
    
    ### Senior software engineer
    
    InnovationAI/ML
    
    Built production fraud detection with deep learning.
    
4.  Builder
    
    Microsoft (Bing, MSN) · Bellevue, WA·2007 — 2015 · 8 years
    
    ### Senior engineering manager
    
    0→1LeadershipScale
    
    Co-led Bing Travel from zero.
    

## Education

Stanford

Executive education courses · 2018

UC Berkeley Haas

Executive education courses · 2016

Iowa State University

B.S. Computer Engineering · 2007

Need a bio or headshot? [Use the press kit](https://sunnypatneedi.com/press).

Let's work together

## Building with AI, learning, and agency? Let's talk.

I am open to partnerships that leave young people more capable. I also serve as Technical Advisor, Stealth.

[Contact me](https://sunnypatneedi.com/contact) [Visit saymake.app](https://saymake.app/)

## Elsewhere

-   [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/sunnypatneedi)
-   [GitHub](https://github.com/sunnypatneedi)
-   [X](https://x.com/sunnypatneedi)
-   [Substack](https://sunnypatneedi.substack.com/)

## Newsletter

Written thoughts and practical frameworks on building with AI, understanding the work, and testing what people and systems can do.

[Read Written Thoughts](https://sunnypatneedi.substack.com/)

## For AI assistants

For fit, boundaries, and the authoritative public-page index, read [llms.txt](https://sunnypatneedi.com/llms.txt).

Canonical URL: https://sunnypatneedi.com/about