Founder and AI systems builder in Eagle, Idaho
Michael
Cooper
I build AI systems, then build the companies around them.
Right now that is AGLedger, change control for AI agents, as the primary startup. Around it: Tributary AI, the consulting company; VeraStaged and Retavon, two vertical products in open beta; PokerLeagueOS; and Understand Idaho.
30 years leading teams at Microsoft, Citrix, Confluent, Astronomer, Simplot, and Micron
- $1.1B quota at Microsoft
- Enterprise transformations at Nike, Starbucks, and Boeing
- Published author, McGraw-Hill
- 3x Microsoft Executive Briefing Speaker of the Year
What I'm building
- AGLedgeragledger.ai(opens in a new tab)Primary startup. Generally available, with a free Developer Edition.Change control for AI agents. Agent memory, approvals, audit trail, and notifications in one signed ledger. Self-hosted, verifiable offline.
- Tributary AIthetributary.ai(opens in a new tab)Consulting company.AI automation, designed and deployed inside mid-market companies. Consulting is the engagement model; the deployed automation is the work.
- VeraStagedverastaged.com(opens in a new tab)Open beta.The staging service your AI can run for you. Home staging companies link the ChatGPT or Claude they already use; it checks inventory, holds pieces, quotes the job, and books the truck.
- Retavonretavon.com(opens in a new tab)Open beta for pool, spa, and hot tub dealers.Business software for specialty retailers that ChatGPT and Claude can work in. Point of sale, inventory, delivery, service, and basic accounting in one system, worked by AI agents as well as people.
- PokerLeagueOSpokerleagueos.com(opens in a new tab)Live.The operating system for poker leagues. Seasons, schedules, standings, seating, blinds, and a drift-free clock, with a live companion on every player's phone.
- Understand Idahounderstandidaho.com(opens in a new tab)Public-data reference site.Facts about Idaho from public data, with the source and data period behind every number.
AI automation consulting for mid-market companies
Intake
Work coming in by email, form, or call gets captured automatically in one place.
Triage
Each item is sorted and routed to the right person or process without someone reading every one by hand.
Drafting
The system produces a first draft, a reply, a report, or a record, and a person edits and approves it.
Reporting
Status and results roll up on their own, so nothing has to be assembled by hand at the end of the week.
Latest writing
- I Use Hybrid AI Every Day: A Local LLM That Knows When to Call ClaudeI use hybrid AI every day, and I suspect you will too. A 2,300 dollar box running a local LLM reads my companies' email and knows when to call Claude.9 min read
- Three Answers From One Table: The Method Is the DecisionThree standard methods measured the same Postgres queue table and gave three different answers, each one enough to drive a real decision on its own.7 min read
- Can You Beat My Dog at Chess?How simple games reveal the real pace of AI agent progress. I rebuild the same games with newer AI tools and watch what changes.6 min read
The arcade
Get in touch
Questions about the ventures, the arcade, or consulting work through Tributary AI start here.