Why I Left My Job to Go All-In on AI

After more than a decade working across UX and crypto startups, I decided to make a hard pivot: I left my job to build full-time in AI.

This wasn’t a burn-the-boats decision. It was a shift driven by what I was seeing firsthand: AI was changing the way I work — and fast.

Here’s the story behind the switch, and what I’m building now.

A Decade of Building Under Pressure

For the last 8 years, I’ve worked as a UX designer across high-speed teams — mostly in early-stage startups, where ambiguity is the default.

My last 4 years were spent inside the crypto space.
These were not calm environments.

They were complex, high-risk, and constantly evolving.
Designing for crypto products meant dealing with:

• Rapid product pivots

• Technical constraints

• Lack of precedent

• High-stakes user flows (wallets, DeFi, DAOs)

It forced me to think clearly, ship fast, and solve real-world problems.

That environment shaped how I work: lean, systems-oriented, and impact-focused.

The AI Shift: From Interface to Outcome

The turning point came when I started using AI tools to automate workflows I used to spend weeks designing interfaces for.

Instead of sketching the interface, I was scripting the system.
Instead of wireframing steps, I was building logic chains.

The result?

• Faster output

• Fewer blockers

• Tighter feedback loops

• More personal leverage

Traditional product cycles suddenly felt slow.
The bottleneck wasn’t engineering — it was the way we built in the first place.

AI Tools Are Powerful — But the UX Is Still Broken

Here’s the real problem: AI isn’t lacking intelligence.
It’s lacking usability.

I saw this pattern everywhere:

• Tools that could do amazing things — if you knew the right prompt, config, or context

• Interfaces that overwhelmed new users

• Workflows designed for demos, not real-world adoption

Bad UX isn’t just annoying. It blocks potential.
It slows down builders, confuses users, and limits ROI.

This is where my experience in UX becomes useful — not because I want to design prettier AI apps, but because I understand how painful broken workflows can be.

I’m Not Just “Doing UX for AI”

Let’s be clear: I’m not repositioning as a “UX-for-AI” consultant.

What I’m doing is building systems — some for others, some for myself — that:

• Save time

• Scale efficiently

• Deliver real value, solo or with small teams

Sometimes that looks like interface work.
Other times it’s automation, prompt engineering, or building internal agents.
But the goal is always the same: leverage.

The Goal: Small Systems, Scalable Results

Right now, I’m focused on:

• AI agent UX flows

• Automation infrastructure

• Fast experiments with low-cost AI tools

• Productizing what works

My target is $10K+/month from a combination of services, products, and systems I control.
Not venture-scale. Not consulting dependency.
Just sustainable, high-leverage work.

Open to Collaborate

If you're building in AI, automation, or internal tooling and want to:

• Improve UX

• Prototype smarter workflows

• Reduce user friction

• Or just test ideas with someone who’s been in the trenches

—I’d love to hear from you.

Let’s talk → hi@deeflect.com