About // Richard Stubbs

I've spent 25 years building the infrastructure platforms run on — the systems you rely on most and only notice when they fail. From early internet startups through FinTech, IoT, security, and AI, I've learned one thing consistently: get the foundations right, or nothing above them holds.

I'm the Director of Technology at AxisOps. We help companies build technical capabilities that scale. Before that, I held CTO and CIO positions at multiple technology startups, along with other technical and consulting roles. My first startup was in 1999. I've been building ever since. But together on this site, we can go a little deeper... below the waterline.

"Below the waterline" — that's how I describe the work that matters most. Icebergs float because of what's underneath. Platforms scale because someone built the infrastructure to support them. I build what's underneath.

Where I Operate

My expertise sits at the intersection of infrastructure, security, and systems thinking. I've been hands-on with IoT security since 2008 — long before Mirai made it front-page news. I've built CI/CD pipelines for regulated industries, designed container orchestration at scale, and helped teams ship faster without breaking things.

I take a security-first approach not because compliance demands it, but because it's the only approach that makes sense. For companies that need it, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 preparation — not as paper exercises, but as genuine improvements to how they build and operate technology.

Pattern Recognition

I see structural shifts before they're obvious. That's not a pitch — it's a pattern across 25 years.

I've been early on things that mattered. Containers. Cryptocurrency. Microcontrollers as a silicon platform. I've also been early on things that went wrong — security failures that were visible years before they became headlines.

I don't always get the timing right. I don't always act on my own calls. Right now, I'm betting on AGI landing 2027 and restructuring everything around it. I could be wrong about the date. I don't think I'm wrong about the direction.

What I Write

You'll find practical stuff around AI strategy, technical leadership, and business decisions in Insights. Past and future predictions in The Long View — with the evidence. And the dark timelines and uncomfortable questions in Unfiltered.

Track Record

Director of Technology at AxisOps — setting the company's technical vision
Led technical strategy across multiple startups from formation through scale and exit
First startup acquired by Lyvia Group
Hands-on IoT security since 2008
Built CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration for regulated industries
Delivered ISO 27001 and SOC 2 readiness — real improvements, not paper exercises
Engineering culture, not just engineering — teams that ship and teams that last

I work with founders who understand that technical shortcuts create technical debt, and that making the right infrastructure decisions early can save years of pain later. I work with investors who need honest technical assessment, not optimistic hand-waving. And I work with teams who want to level up their engineering practices.

I'm based on the south coast, on what we like to call Silicon Beach. Available for short engagements across the UK and remotely worldwide.

If any of this resonates — whether you're building something, evaluating something, or just trying to make sense of what's coming next — I'm always happy to talk.