James Acklin

Profile

A software professional interested in distributed, self-hosted, and peer-to-peer systems. Specializes in data visualization and research tooling.

Currently leading product for a p2p messenger you meaningfully own. Have held design director and engineering IC roles with experience managing people and process.

Experience

2021–Present

Tlon Messenger · Product Lead

A private, user-owned, and incentive-free communications suite for a more personal and humane internet.

• Directs product vision and design on a small team, delivering a decentralized, mobile-first experience akin to Slack or Notion.
• Guides cross-functional execution between kernel, client, and infrastructure teams.
• Leads release planning, user research, and roadmap prioritization.

2021–2024

Tlon Landscape · Design & Product

Launchpad and framework enabling developers to build and distribute software without app stores or centralized servers.

2021–2022

Tlon Bridge · Product Direction

User-facing management interface for on-chain public-key infrastructure; coordinated rollout of the first Ethereum L2.

2020–2021

Bloomfield Robotics · Product Design

Dashboards for agricultural producers to examine crop health and estimate yield with plant-level imaging and ML processing.

2019–2021

Nielsen · Design Systems Lead

Built a WCAG-AAA design system and pattern library empowering 20+ designers to deliver unified experiences across 18 verticals.

2019–2021

PointLogic · Product Design

Decision support software enabling $100M+ marketing campaigns.

2013–2019

Rhiza · Design & Engineering

Geospatial data visualization for media and academic researchers; organization acquired by Nielsen in 2017.

2011–2013

Smith Brothers Agency · Engineering

Developed web properties for multinational CPG brands.

2009–2011

Elisco Advertising · Graphic Design

Produced print campaigns for regional clients.