New Release
The Software Conductor
A journey of discovery from software developer to architect — designing systems, leading teams, creating harmony.
Learn more →
Software Architect & Author
AI-Powered SaaS That Holds Up at Scale
Lee Atchison is a software architect and author who helps companies architect and operate AI-powered SaaS at scale.
Adding AI to a product is the easy part. Keeping it fast, affordable and reliable once real customers arrive is where most teams get stuck.
What's New
What's New from Lee
Risk Management for Scalable Systems
Risk as a portfolio you manage on purpose. Build a matrix for your own systems, then use it to win the arguments that decide the roadmap.
Learn more →
Cloud Architecture for Scalable Systems
Vendor-neutral cloud architecture from the architect's seat — deployment models, managed services, infrastructure as code, cloud-native design, cost as a first-class constraint, and migration planning.
Learn more →
What Lee Works On
Four Problems Lee Helps Solve
Architecting AI-powered SaaS at scale
Most AI features start bolted onto the side of the app. That works for a demo. At scale, the model needs a real place in the architecture.
The five levels of AI-native architecture →AI cost architecture
A function call used to be free. A model call isn’t, and the bill grows with every customer. Cost has to be part of the design, because the invoice is a bad place to find out.
Your Function Call Was Free. This One Isn’t. →Operating AI reliably in production
An AI feature can be up and still be wrong. Reliability now means knowing how often it’s wrong, who it affects, and how fast you’ll notice.
AI Didn’t Break Your Risk Matrix. It Broke Your Scores. →Scalability and high availability
Your system worked fine at a thousand users. Then it didn’t. Lee has done this work since Amazon, and wrote the O’Reilly book on it.
Architecting for Scale →
Software Architect
Author
Former AI Company CTO
Advisor
About Lee
From Amazon and New Relic to AI
Lee Atchison is a software architect and author who helps companies architect and operate AI-powered SaaS at scale. At Amazon, he helped rearchitect the retail website and built AWS Elastic Beanstalk. He led architecture for New Relic’s fast-growing SaaS platform and served as CTO of an AI company. He wrote Architecting for Scale (O’Reilly) and publishes Software Architecture Insights.
Amazon.com
AWS
New Relic
Product Genius
Published Works
Books by Lee Atchison
Practical guides for architects and technology leaders navigating modern software challenges.
New Release
The Software Conductor
A journey of discovery from software developer to architect — designing systems, leading teams, creating harmony.
O'Reilly Media
Architecting for Scale
How to maintain high availability and manage risk in the cloud. An essential resource for technical teams worldwide.
Co-Authored
Business Breakthrough 3.0
A five-step process that fuels engagement, boosts agility, and drives lasting change in your organization.
O'Reilly Media
Overcoming IT Complexity
Simplify operations, enable innovation, and cultivate successful cloud outcomes by taming IT complexity.
180,000+
learners have taken Lee’s courses
Professionals across the globe learn cloud architecture, scalability, and modern software design from Lee’s courses.
Training & Education
Coursera
Coursera
Learn from a Master Architect
Lee’s courses reach professionals across the globe through leading learning platforms, covering software architecture, cloud computing, and more.
Risk Management for Scalable Systems
Risk as a portfolio you manage on purpose. Build a matrix for your own systems, then use it to win the arguments that decide the roadmap.
Learn more →
Cloud Architecture for Scalable Systems
Vendor-neutral cloud architecture from the architect's seat — deployment models, managed services, infrastructure as code, cloud-native design, cost as a first-class constraint, and migration planning.
Learn more →
Software Architecture Insights
Lee’s weekly newsletter and podcast on building AI into SaaS, what it costs to run, keeping it reliable, and designing for scale.
Explore the Article Library
Work with Lee
Let’s Look at Your Architecture
Usually something ran fine until it didn’t, or an AI feature is about to ship. Either way, the earlier we talk, the cheaper the fix.
- Architecture reviews for AI-powered SaaS platforms
- AI cost and reliability assessments
- Scalability and availability reviews
- Fractional chief architect and advisory roles