On January 8, 2026, my time in corporate America ended. Sure, I updated my LinkedIn to "Open to Work," panicked about the job market, and start practicing answers to "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
But something strange happened inside.
I looked back at the corporate landscape—the necessary processes, the careful governance, the stability—and realized something terrifying:
I think I'm not a corporate guy.
And frankly? I've never been happier.
The "Square Peg" Problem
Let me be clear: I have no hard feelings toward the corporate world. The companies I've worked for have been amazing, filled with smart people doing exactly what big companies are supposed to do: manage risk, ensure stability, grow steadily.
But here's the dirty secret I learned over the last 22 months: I just can't do it.
I need to move faster. I need to innovate. I need to press the limits. That's what I've always done in startups and consulting. It's what I love. And that pace just isn't "Corporate."
And that's okay. Actually, it's better than okay.
Because Corporate shouldn't be my employer—Corporate is my customer.
I shouldn't be sitting in a cubicle waiting for approval. I should be the guy you call to parachute in, solve the impossible problem, be the hero, and hit the road.
I spent 20 years in product management and consulting. As a consultant, the mandate is different. You're a hired gun. You're brought in to fix the problem, build the solution, deliver results yesterday.
That's my dopamine hit. I like to fix problems. That's what I do. But in a large enterprise, "fixing it" isn't the only metric. There's caution. There's process. There's a "speed limit" designed to keep the organization safe. And honestly? They should be cautious. They didn't hire me to be a chaos engine; they hired me to be a Product Owner. But deep down, I realized I would never be happy driving the speed limit.
Especially now that I know how fast the car can actually go.
The Speed Limit Just Changed (And I Got a Ticket)
In 2025, while working my day job, I spent nights and weekends in a frantic R&D sprint.I wrote over one million lines of code using AI-assisted development tools like Lovable, Cursor, and Claude. I prototyped workflow modules in a weekend that used to take my teams at TekDog eight months to build. I validated ideas in hours that used to take quarters. And then I'd go to work on Monday morning.
Do you know what it feels like to drive a Formula 1 car on the weekend and then be forced to drive a minivan in a school zone on Monday?
It's not the minivan's fault. The minivan is safe! It has airbags! It's reliable! But I had spent 48 hours tearing up the track at 200MPH with AI as my pit crew, and suddenly I couldn't adjust back to "Normal Speed." I can't sit in a meeting debating the theory of a solution when I know I could just build the thing and see if it works.
Why AI Makes Builders "Unemployable"
When I say I'm "unemployable," I don't mean I can't get a job. I mean my tolerance for friction has hit zero. AI-assisted product development turns a Product Manager into a Product Builder. It removes the gap between "I have an idea" and "It's working on the screen."
- I don't need to beg for resources
- I don't need to wait for a roadmap slot
- I don't need permission to innovate
I just execute. I utilize the context I've gathered over 28 years of enterprise experience, feed it into the tools, and build. My previous employer never really got to see this side of me—the "unleashed" version. They saw the guy trying to fit into the process. But now? The process is gone. It's just me, the AI, and the problem.
The Pivot to BlackProject
Could I get another corporate job? Sure. If a great opportunity came along, I'd listen.
But right now, my passion is BlackProject.ai.
I've gone all-in. I want to teach others how to do exactly what I did: escape the friction and start building. We're building the future of AI-assisted product development with FeatureFlow—helping teams gather the right context so they can use AI to build production-ready software. I want to work with people who are tired of talking and ready to build. Leaders who want to see their ideas come to life in days, not years.
To The Builders: Let's Go
The world changed in 2025. Most people just haven't realized it yet. For the big companies, keep doing your thing. Be safe. Be cautious. There's a place for that.
But for the builders? The problem solvers? The people who just want to make cool shit work?
We have the power tools now. We don't have to wait anymore.
I'm Jason Keller. I'm not a corporate guy. I'm a problem solver.
And I'm finally driving at full speed.