Chris Weaver Independent · Available for selected work

Some problems don’t fit into a job title.

Something in the business is slow, expensive, unclear — or just off.
But no one can clearly explain why.

That’s where I work.

Recognition

You might recognize this.

  • The system technically works — but people avoid using it.
  • Multiple tools are stitched together, and no one fully understands the flow.
  • Data exists, but decisions still feel like guesswork.
  • It’s unclear whether to build something, buy something, or fix what’s already there.
  • Smart people have looked at it — but the problem remains.
  • Something feels fundamentally off — but it’s hard to explain why.

That ambiguity is usually the real problem.

What I do

I step into situations like this and do three things.

i.

Make the problem clear.

Not the symptoms — the actual structure of what’s going wrong.

ii.

Find the real leverage points.

What matters, what doesn’t, and where effort actually pays off.

iii.

Design a path forward.

Build, buy, simplify, replace — whatever actually makes sense.

Why this works

Most people approach problems from one angle.

Developers
think in code.
Consultants
think in frameworks.
Executives
think in outcomes.

I’ve spent my career working across all three — building real systems, designing products used at scale, and understanding the business and financial impact behind them.

MBA · Acton School of Business · Austin

A highly rigorous, non-traditional program built around real-world decision making, not theory.

No lectures. No clean answers. Just constant pressure to think clearly and act with incomplete information.

That combination changes what you see — and what you miss.

Selected work

A few things I’ve shaped.

VTEL · 1996
Real-Time Presentation Sharing
Designed a system for exporting and transmitting PowerPoint content during live video sessions using COM automation — at a time when presentation sharing did not yet exist as a standard capability.
Shipped
1998
Polycom ViewStation
Designed and built the embedded user interface engine powering a category-defining video conferencing system.
Implemented a multi-language, layered UI from low-level graphics primitives — delivering a level of simplicity and usability rarely seen in set-top systems of that era.
Shipped
2003
PRISMIQ MediaPlayer Best of CES 2003 · TechTV
Early networked media platform bridging home computers and television. Led software development and contributed across the stack.
Shipped
2008
Smart Thermostat Patent Portfolio
Authored early patents anticipating key elements of modern smart thermostat systems. Seven are listed in Nest’s published patent disclosures; the portfolio was later acquired by Google.
Shipped
Real Estate Rules Engine
Designed a high-scale compliance system processing ~5,000 records / day across ~1,200 rules. Transformed complex, manual workflows into a structured, reliable decision engine.
Live
Tag Printing System
Designing a system to replace decades of tribal knowledge and error-prone workflows with a clean, automated pipeline. Focus on data correctness, operational clarity, and repeatable execution.
In progress
Team Factor Authentication (TFA)
Designed and built a system for securely sharing and managing 2FA codes within teams. Simplifies a common but poorly solved operational problem without compromising security.
Live
Notes

Occasionally I write things down.

Usually when something doesn’t quite line up.

Closing

I don’t take on everything.

But if something in your business feels off — and hasn’t been easy to pin down — I’m always open to a conversation.

I tend to notice things that don’t quite line up.