Staff Software Engineer • AI Tech Lead

Leighton Tidwell

Leading applied AI initiatives and helping teams build practical, production-ready AI systems at Future.

Staff Software Engineer and AI Tech Lead at Future, where I lead applied AI strategy, build production-ready AI systems, and mentor engineers on modern development workflows. Background spans military, startup, and private-sector environments, with deep experience in React, Next.js, Node.js, GraphQL, AWS, and Python.

I bridge emerging AI capabilities with real product and engineering execution—drawing on experience from military to startups—and I pursue every project as an expression of my faith in Christ.

Scripture

Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Ephesians 6:7 (NLT)
Projects

Building tools that solve real problems.

Stinky Pointing Poker

Next.js • React • Supabase

A lightweight planning poker tool built for teams experiencing load issues with the original. Real-time collaborative estimation made simple.

Connect

Let’s build something that matters.

Reach out if you're working on applied AI systems, need a technical thought partner, or want to talk about building reliable software with real impact.