Hello, I’m John Macdonald.
Engineer, founder, writer.
Husband. Father.
Based in Oley, PA.
I make stuff. I’ve spent 30+ years building things — products, teams, systems, and companies. Hardware, firmware, software, test, documentation, and articles. From tiny boards to massive deployments. From satellite payloads, tiny, hidden computers, to AI automation platforms. These days, I help embedded systems teams work smarter and ship faster with higher quality.
Today, I lead software program management and engineering operations at Cornelis Networks, focused on AI-first development, modern DevOps, and helping embedded software teams work with more quality and speed. Before that, I co-founded 4TLAS, where we built an AI-enhanced DevOps platform for embedded teams.
Before that, I led engineering teams through chaos and turnaround. I’ve seen bad leadership and bloated process. I’ve been in the room when it broke, and in the room when it shipped. I know how to build systems that don’t just scale — they last.
I’m not an armchair theorist.
I’m a participant.
I believe the view from the ring beats the view from the stands. Always.
johnmaconline.com is where I think in public.
I write short articles to help people think clearer, act better, and lead stronger. I write about technology, creativity, leadership, and life — all from the trenches. It’s part builder’s journal, part provocation, part reminder to myself. Actually, it’s mainly reminder to myself. You’re just a voyeaur.
I’m still becoming.
Still building.
Still trying to make something worth a damn.
Let’s go.