Ryan Smith
Dec 23, 2025 - Mar 13, 2026
25
Decisions
0
Active Todos
9
Patterns
Decisions (25)
AI Governance Single-Track Pivot for ISO 42001
Pivoted AI governance from dual-track (internal vs products) to single rigorous model because CIQ products (RLCAI, Fuzzball, Werewolf) now directly integrate AI, changing the liability profile.
Excluded Brian from RESF Pre-Transition Planning
Decided to exclude Brian from pre-transition RESF planning based on synthesizing risk signals from multiple sources. Brian's role will be carefully managed post-transition.
RESF Monday Cutover — Finalized 3 PM PT Execution Plan
Finalized the RESF infrastructure cutover plan for Monday March 16 at 3 PM PT, including DNS NS record flip, AWS VPC firewalling, account disabling (Lewis, Neal), and security audit — accepting up to 24 hours of DNS-related downtime.
Sensitive Decision
Custom Engineering Scoping Process — Nathan as Gate
Established formal process for unplanned custom engineering requests from sales: Nathan provides quick effort estimate (days/weeks/months), enabling formal prioritization. Nathan can say no, escalation goes to Peter.
Sensitive Decision
Team Building Mandate — 6-Month Priority Over Features
Directed all engineering managers to prioritize team building over feature delivery for the next six months. Includes permission to swap out low performers, with Peter providing air cover for the risks involved.
Sensitive Decision
Decided to carefully surface Icicle results to Bjorn
After validating Icicle test methodology with Ryan (BIOS change applied before both with/without comparisons — apples-to-apples), and learning Ani was told by Bjorn to stand down on Icicle, Peter decided to personally and carefully bring the validated results to Bjorn's attention.
Shaped Ryan's H-1 strategic plan with specific direction
Reviewed Ryan's H-1 plan and gave specific strategic direction: reframe team skill tracking to outcome metrics, loop Product into GTM translation validation, create simplified 4-page sales pitch deck, align with Max on Rocky Linux upstream strategy (pure RESF vs hybrid best-of-breed) before engaging community, and present AI-assisted goal-setting process at Engineering Weekly Sync.
Sensitive Decision
Set AI adoption/spending policy: pace over cost, fund passion project tokens
Codified org-wide AI tool policy: pace is priority over cost, high token spend signals productivity. CIQ will fund tokens for passion projects (learning) but not work-hour time for non-core work. Work-hour AI projects must align with core responsibilities.
Approved Professional Services strategy pivot
Approved Ryan proposed PS strategy pivot: align PS with Ramesh product-first vision, discontinue unprofitable standalone training deals and custom engineering work, focus only on product-aligned services (Rocky Linux migrations, dedicated support engineers/TAMs, HPC services) delivered through third-party vendors to scale without increasing headcount.
Sensitive Decision
Require mandatory tagging of all fully AI-generated content
AI Committee established policy that all fully AI-generated content must be tagged to manage user expectations. Applies only to fully AI-generated content, not human-reviewed or AI-assisted work. Format and placement of tags is flexible.
COGS data access unblocked for Ryan - Bjorn to grant via Kelly
Convened Bjorn and Ryan to resolve Ryans 6-month block on accessing official COGS data. Ryan had been forced to recreate the data independently, which conflicted with Bjorns H1 directive to use a single official source. Bjorn agreed immediately and will email Kelly Marlin today to grant Ryan full access.
COGS Visibility - Escalate Finance Data Access via Bjorn
Committed to scheduling a tri-party meeting with Ryan and Bjorn to secure finance data access (loaded rates) for Ryan's Intelligence Hub. Finance (Marlon, Kelly) previously denied Ryan's direct requests.
OSPO Restructure - New Mandate and Leadership
OSPO moved under Customer Engineering (Ryan Smith). Chris Short removed as head. New leadership: Brian Clemons (VP, RESF) and Lee Hennig (former RESF MD). New mandate: govern ALL open source CIQ touches, not just RESF. Top priority: eliminate extinction event risks. RESF board resolution target by H1 2026. Self-sufficiency goal: enable CIQ to internally reproduce Rocky Linux.
Trinity Quirk & Chris Short Terminations Executed
Terminated Trinity Quirk for failing to progress NARF/CVE automation integration despite clear expectations. Terminated Chris Short for failing to deliver on critical RESF-related goals. Sent transparent communication to all of engineering explaining the WHY behind these decisions.
NARF Performance Accountability - Public Termination
Decided to execute a public termination within Nathan's org on Monday if NARF deliverables are not met. This is specifically intended as organizational signaling to drive accountability and force motion across the team. A second termination (Chris) may be required for legal reasons.
Advocate for Ryan's Strategic Seat
Committed to securing Ryan Smith a seat at the strategic decision-making table for RESF/Rocky Linux matters. Specifically promised to advocate for his inclusion in key meetings with Bjorn and Greg.
H1 Planning Strategy - Aggressive Goals with Staggered Milestones
Articulated H1 strategy: shift from hope to concrete plan with aggressive audacious goals. Achieve goals differently not just faster. Staggered milestones every 4-6 weeks for course correction. Missed milestones trigger retrospectives for process or personnel changes. Clear prioritization at Reno eliminating everything is P0 problem.
Bonus Criteria - Strategic Alignment Required
Established bonus criteria: bonuses should be for accomplishments aligned with strategic goals that help scale or deliver faster, not just for being an awesome developer.
RESF Infrastructure Independence - Technical Execution
Directed Nathan to mirror all RESF repositories and initiated build environment duplication. Created #internal-resf-escalation channel with strict confidentiality rules. Keeping technical circle small (Nathan, Max, Justin, Dieter) while moving quickly.
RESF Crisis Response - Infrastructure Independence
After learning of hostile plans by RESF board members (Louis, Neil, Brian Clemens) to publicly attack CIQ, dismantle Rocky Linux infrastructure, and damage the project, initiated emergency response to replicate RESF infrastructure for Rocky 8, 9, 10 with minimal team awareness.
Related Patterns (9)
Executive Sponsorship for Strategic Partnerships
Strategic cross-company initiatives and major client partnerships require executive-level accountability to move at the right pace and ensure proper prioritization.
Small Circle for Sensitive Operations
When executing sensitive strategic operations, keep the circle of informed people as small as possible to prevent leaks that could accelerate hostile action or undermine the initiative.
Proactive Talent Pipeline Investment
Invest in building leadership bench and talent relationships before there is an urgent need. Use proven relationships from past experience to create optionality.
Protect Engineering Capacity
When external demands threaten to overload engineering capacity, protect capacity by either requiring the demand to come with additional resources, or forcing hard prioritization choices upstream.
Accountability Follow-Through
When you issue a warning or mandate with stated consequences, you follow through. Warnings are not threats - they are commitments. The credibility of future accountability depends on following through now.
Lead by Example with New Tools
When championing new tools or processes, personally use them and share results rather than just advocating. Learning by doing and demonstrating value through example is more effective than mandates.
Protect Engineering Focus Through Process
When faced with requests that would disrupt engineering focus (from sales, governance, product, or other stakeholders), establish processes that protect engineering ability to innovate while still satisfying legitimate concerns. Prefer systematic solutions over ad-hoc responses.
Three-Lever Talent Management
When pursuing a velocity or performance mandate, simultaneously operate on all three talent levers — upgrade (hire better), retain (protect key people), and exit (remove blockers) — rather than sequentially. This creates compounding momentum: exits free capacity for upgrades, retention preserves institutional knowledge during transitions, and upgrades raise the performance bar that justifies further exits.
Strategic Alignment for Rewards
Compensation and bonuses should reward outcomes aligned with company strategy, not just individual talent or performance in isolation.