For anyone considering working with Chaparral Software — founders, executives, fellow practitioners, or organizations navigating AI decisions.
About
Independent AI consultant · Systems Architect. 40 years building production systems. Walking the same shifting ground you are.
The Trail So Far
Forty years building production systems — databases, web services, cloud, and now AI. Each wave of disruption, I was in it, building through it, figuring out what worked by watching what didn't. Read the full story →
What I Do Now
Ground Truth Assessment
Independent AI consulting for non-technical decision makers. If you've invested in AI and aren't sure it's working, or you're about to sign a vendor contract and want AI due diligence from an independent eye — I find what's actually true about your technology. Weeks, not quarters.
Shifting Ground
A publication — dispatches from the AI transformation. Field reports for professionals navigating the same disruption. Honest, specific, no guru promises. 3-4 per month, plus cairns (short technical trail markers).
Core Capability
Cross-domain pattern recognition combined with production systems engineering. I'm not the smartest person in the room on any single topic. I'm the person who sees how the pieces connect.
My value isn't "I can build things you can't." It's "I know which things will stand and which will fall, because I've watched hundreds of beautiful things collapse when they hit reality."
Chaparral Software
Founded in 1986 in Agoura Hills, California. The name comes from the chaparral — the tough, drought-adapted scrubland of Southern California. Plants that survive fire, come back stronger, and hold the hillside together while everything around them shifts.
Forty years building production systems for businesses of every size — from independent shops like Dawson's Book Shop and A.N. Abell Auction Company to global brands like Coca-Cola, William Morris Agency, and Blue Cross of California. The longest engagement is 24 years and counting at FantaSea Yachts. Databases, APIs, cloud infrastructure, and now AI — each era building on the last. A technical article on AI token management reached 52,000 views and a #1 Google ranking — not from marketing, but from production experience written down.
Custom systems, architecture, and independent AI assessments. The common thread: data that has to be right in production.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shifting Ground?
A publication — dispatches from the AI transformation. Field reports for professionals navigating career disruption and organizational change driven by AI. Honest, specific, no guru promises. Published 3-4 times per month, plus cairns (short technical trail markers).
Who is Russ Kohn?
A systems architect with 40 years building production systems — databases, web services, mobile, cloud, and now AI. UCLA graduate. Principal of Chaparral Software, founded in 1986. Currently building production AI systems and offering independent technical diagnostics through the Ground Truth Assessment.
What is Chaparral Software?
Founded in 1986 in Agoura Hills, California. Forty years of building production systems for businesses of every size — from independent shops like Dawson's Book Shop and A.N. Abell Auction Company to global brands like Coca-Cola, William Morris Agency, and Blue Cross of California. Custom systems, architecture, and independent AI assessments. The common thread: data that has to be right in production.
What is a Ground Truth Assessment?
An independent technical diagnostic for non-technical decision makers. If you've invested in AI and aren't sure it's working, or you're about to sign a vendor contract and want an independent eye — the Ground Truth Assessment finds what's actually true about your technology. Weeks, not quarters.
What People Say
"Russ was great to work with — so knowledgeable it made my head spin. He's accessible, a great communicator, and always able to meet deadlines while exceeding my expectations."
"Russ is both an excellent teacher and developer. He is patient and thorough in his explanations of complex technologies both in a class setting, a conference, or individual conversations. I've had the pleasure to work with Russ on projects including our Developer's Conference, where he helped construct both narrative and technical deliverables for our worldwide keynote presentation. He has a huge range of knowledge. I have tremendous respect for him."
"I've known Russell for over 10 years now. He is an amazingly competent, reliable, professional person with tons of integrity. I really cannot recommend him highly enough."
Contact
Subscribe
Dispatches land in your inbox a few times per month. Free. No spam. No tracking. Unsubscribe anytime.
RSS Feeds
- Everything — dispatches and cairns in one feed
- Dispatches only — long-form essays, a few per month
- Cairns only — short technical trail markers