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 mobile-first experience rivaling centralized competitors.
• 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.

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.

Projects

2026–Present

Alex ebook reader · Side Project

Self-hosted PDF and EPUB library; drop files in a folder and browse, read, and track progress from any browser on your own hardware. Uses a reverse-relay service to serve content to the broader Internet from the user's own machine.

2026–Present

ship-launcher · Side Project

A tool to allow users to self-custody and run their Tlon node via macOS or Linux standalone executable. Supports runtime updates and web interface launching. Designed to work in conjunction with user data exports from Tlon hosting.

2026

%cron · Side Project

A tool for scheduling and running recurring tasks on arvo. Designed to be used in conjunction with Tlon Messenger.

2020–2021

Bloomfield Robotics · deck.gl

Dashboards for agricultural producers to examine crop health and estimate yield with plant-level imaging and ML processing; conducted early market validation with trial-run clients.

2019–2024

Steady State Cycles · Visual Design

Branding and marketing support for a road cycling boutique.

2019–2020

Send · Editorial

Progressive web app for browsing and reading Dirt Rag Magazine; Vue.js and Nuxt frontend over a headless WordPress API.

2010–2019

Various · Design & Web Development

Too many websites to count.

2001–2006

Phirebrush · Co-founder

Open-submission online magazine for digital art, illustration, photography, music, and writing; grew to over 1 million unique visitors across 38 issues.