I'm Michael Bollin.
I've been writing software for 25+ years.
I've built things from scratch, maintained things I didn't build, and rewritten things that probably didn't need rewriting.
My work covers frontend, backend, APIs, UX, AI, product development and technical leadership, often working alongside designers, managers, marketers and researchers. Startups, agencies, product companies and individual clients.
These days, I still mostly code, but also spent time on figuring out what the code should actually be doing, and trying to avoid AI slop.
I like simple solutions, boring technology when it works, and fixing existing software before deciding it needs to be replaced.
Some stack I worked with
- JavaScriptTypeScript, React, React Native, Svelte, Next.js, Node, Jest, Cypress
- RubyRails, Sidekiq, RSpec
- PythonAPIs, scripting, data pipelines
- FrameworksWordPress, Laravel, Shopify
- DatabasesPostgreSQL, MySQL
- DeploymentAWS, Vercel, Render, CircleCI
What I bring to the table
Code.
Building things, fixing things and figuring out why they don't work.
A fresh perspective.
Sometimes a project just needs someone who hasn't been looking at the same problem for the last six months.
A bridge between tech and management.
I can usually help both sides understand what's actually going on.
Some structure.
When features or requirements get messy, I can help break them down into something the team can work with.
Extra capacity.
I can join an existing team when there's important work to do and not much room to take on more.
A pragmatic view of technology.
Not everything needs to be rewritten. In fact, most things don't.