John Koehnen
John Koehnen

John Koehnen

I lead product and engineering. Eighteen years of deciding what to build, for whom, and why — at Microsoft, Disney, and now inside an AI research lab in the defense sector. I write about that here.

Writing

  1. Building SmartSaveAI: the difference between reactive and proactive March 2026

    Every grocery app waits for you to remember what you need. That is the whole problem.

  2. Hooked: habits, hooks, and the nine times better rule January 2024

    Nir Eyal on habits, hooks, and why a new product has to be nine times better to move anyone.

Work

  1. Quantum Sky

    2024 —

    Director of Portfolio & Product

    Product strategy for an R&D lab inside a federal systems integrator, turning AI, cyber and quantum concepts into mission-ready capabilities.

  2. Public Square

    2022 – 2024

    Vice President of Product

    Took a two-sided marketplace from prototype to an NYSE listing, and from 10,000 users to 1.6 million in eighteen months.

  3. Comcast

    2019 – 2021

    Senior Director, Product

    Omni-channel messaging for 30 million Xfinity customers, and an NLP assistant that took millions a year out of support costs.

  4. Walt Disney

    2015 – 2019

    Manager, Software Engineering

    Cloud systems delivering 60 billion push messages a year for ESPN and the Parks apps, plus an IoT program that cut $7M in annual labor.

  5. Microsoft

    2007 – 2015

    Program Manager, Software Engineering

    Twenty-plus security releases protecting Windows revenue, and analytics that removed $100M of product key waste across OEM partners.

Press

  1. Quantum Sky, formerly Tyto Athene, launches with a sharpened focus on AI-driven mission advantage August 2026

    PR Newswire — The Project 137 portfolio is the applied innovation engine I manage.

  2. Shares of online marketplace PublicSq skyrocket on first trading day July 2023

    Investopedia — PSQH begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

  3. COVID-19 network report: how our people met the challenge despite unparalleled disruption August 2020

    Comcast — Xfinity Assistant usage rose 445% during the COVID surge.

  4. Disney tries high-tech system to track trash November 2016

    Orlando Sentinel — On the IoT waste-tracking program at Walt Disney World.

  5. Windows 8 to feature new OEM activation method August 2012

    Tom's Hardware — On OEM Activation 3.0 and per-machine product keys.

Education

  1. University of Colorado Boulder

    in progress

    MS, Computer Science

  2. University of Washington

    2015

    MBA, Technology Management

  3. University of Minnesota

    2007

    BS, Management Information Systems & Finance

About

I have spent my career on the part of software that happens before anyone writes code: figuring out what is worth building, who it is for, and what it has to do to matter. AI has changed everything, but the fundamentals hold. Find a customer. Solve a real problem.

I am also a technical founder. SmartSaveAI is a grocery savings app I built and took to the CU Boulder New Venture Challenge, and Build Beautiful is a small studio building software for small businesses.

I live outside Philadelphia with my wife and four kids, and I race the occasional half Ironman. The best way to reach me is email.

The National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge
Valley Forge, PA