About Mike

Background

Mike Mason is a strategic technology leader and advisor with more than two decades of experience helping organizations navigate complex technology decisions. Most recently Chief AI Officer at Thoughtworks, he shaped AI strategy and adoption across a global organization of 10,000+ employees during one of the most transformational periods in the industry's history. Mike is a founding author of the Thoughtworks Technology Radar, a respected bi-annual publication analyzing software industry trends, and has authored three technology books including "Digital Transformation Game Plan" published by O'Reilly.

Throughout his 22 years at Thoughtworks, Mike held progressively senior roles spanning software architecture, regional technology leadership, and global technology strategy. He led the company's technical direction through its growth from 300 to over 10,000 employees and its initial public offering, while building technology leadership capabilities across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific regions. His work has consistently focused on bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and practical business value.

Mike is a recognized thought leader and communicator who makes complex technology accessible to business audiences. He's a regular speaker at industry conferences, has been interviewed on Bloomberg TV, and contributes to publications like MIT Technology Review. He holds a BA in Computation from Pembroke College, Oxford, and is passionate about helping leaders understand technology as a critical component of business strategy rather than simply a cost center or enabler.

Philosophy

I believe the best technology advice comes from people who still practice the craft. It's easy to recommend approaches you've never had to implement yourself. I stay hands-on specifically because it keeps my advisory work grounded in practical reality.

I'm also skeptical of silver bullets and hype cycles. AI is genuinely transformative technology, but not every problem needs an AI solution. My role is to help organizations find the intersection of what's technically possible, what's organizationally feasible, and what actually creates value.

Current focus

Right now, my work centers on helping organizations move from AI experimentation to meaningful adoption. The pattern I see repeatedly: successful proof-of-concepts that never make it to production, not because the technology failed, but because the organizational machinery wasn't ready to receive it.

I help solve that problem through a combination of strategic advisory, governance framework development, and hands-on technical guidance.

Beyond work

When I'm not working with clients or writing code, I'm usually somewhere in the mountains of Alberta or British Columbia with my camper van. There's something about the combination of wilderness and self-sufficiency that resets the brain and brings perspective to the work.