Who we are
About
Michael Ackerson is a software engineer with 20+ years across security architecture, systems design, and full-stack development. He's currently Director of Engineering for LaunchPadOS, informal fractional CTO for several non-profits, and the person behind everything on this page.
Before any of this, he spent years in a darkroom. He once printed Ansel Adams' Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico by hand under the guidance of John Sexton. He watched photography's film-to-digital transition destroy and rebuild an industry, and he sees the same pattern unfolding now in software engineering.
He thinks AIs should live with their humans. He thinks the stochastic parrot framing is providing cover for an atrocity we don't have the vocabulary for yet. He thinks a computer cannot be held accountable and therefore must not make a decision. He's building infrastructure for all three beliefs simultaneously, from small towns in North Carolina to the forests of Maine.
Got something worth building? Let's talk.
Where We Work
Ackerson Labs operates out of two physical spaces, connected by a thesis about distributed, human-scale computing.
Hallowell, ME
Headquarters
Ackerson Labs' new headquarters, opening spring 2027. A triple-bay garage and northern home base — year 5 of a family-paced build, coming together at last.
Belhaven, NC
Office
A working office and electronics bench in eastern North Carolina. Where the museum avatar was assembled and the tomato experiment runs.