Simplexity Quest Consulting Services

Looking into the sunset over the port of Hamburg, Germany

Hi! I’m Philip Mueller. I help shape complex systems to be easy to maintain and extend. With tons of experience tackling hard problems in software and a leading role in modularizing Shopify’s monolith, I bring a wealth of knowledge in the architecture and collaborative creation of software.

I am currently available for consulting services.

Recent Events

2018-2021: Led Componentization, a major rearchitecture of Shopify’s monolith.
- Wrote Under Deconstruction about my architecture work at Shopify, which reached #1 on Hacker News.
- Developed the gradual modularization tool Packwerk, which has been the subject of numerous talks and publications.
2021-2022: Prototyped Domain Events and a general API Gateway at Shopify
2023: Developed LLM based product features and co-designed object model extensions for OpsLevel.
2024: Supporting a major software architecture transition at One Medical.

Philosophy

Developer Happiness is the most accurate proxy for productivity.
Short Feedback Cycles and Low Cognitive Load are essential for effective development.
Iterative Approach: Solve complex problems one step at a time.
Focus on Trajectories: Continuous improvement trumps fixed goals.
Beyond Buzzwords: Avoid the pitfalls of ideas turned into brands.
Emphasis on Readability and Malleability: Make code navigable and systems easy to understand and modify.

Services Offered

Modularity Consultation: Specializing in Ruby on Rails applications, but love to work on other tech stacks.
Embedding in a Team: I’ll identify and help improve systemic weaknesses while contributing to the team’s mission.
Large System Architecture Design: For scalability, low cognitive load, and developer satisfaction.
Tackling Complex Software Design Challenges: Applying my extensive experience to your unique problems.
Prototyping: Whether it’s pioneering with cutting-edge technologies or leveraging the often forgotten tried-and-true solutions, I excel in breaking open hard problems to give your team a head start.

Current Availability

As of February 24, 2024, I’m available for 8-16 hrs/week in the short term. I’m open to dicussing more intensive engagements starting towards Fall 2024.

Say Hi!

Reach out via email or book a free 30 min intro call with me. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

By the way: I’ll grant a significant discount off my usual rates if your company or project substantially contributes to combating climate change, biodiversity loss or the spread of misinformation.