The Empathy Engine

You maybe wouldn’t see this coming, but my formal education is actually in psychology.

Nerdily, I love research psychology. I even got to TA the research class for a year. I think it’s in poor taste to say now, but back then Dr. Carden referred to me as “Master Knowles.” My senior project was on the connection between social media usage and depression. I felt something that people hadn’t yet perceived.

The same intuition that drove me to look closer 15+ years ago is the same intuition that drives my belief that we need a reimagining now. 

We all have different strengths and weaknesses.

My background in psychology taught me how to listen and understand. My experience as a craftsman taught me how to build things that are simple, effective, and serve their purpose. During my time as a consultant, I spent hours just listening to clients talk about their frustrations. I realized I could combine all the lessons learned from these experiences to fix a problem.

It’s led me to a breakthrough: A new kind of architecture that has empathy at its core. I know this can't be built from a single perspective. True empathy requires a menagerie of perspectives and a chorus of voices. The 'Empathy Engine' isn't just about my background; it's a commitment to building technology by listening, by co-creating, and by bringing a diverse range of experiences to the table.