Yasuaki Kudo
Summary
A software developer and worker cooperative leader doing what we simply need to do with AI. And what is that? To bring a vibrant, flourishing society into this world as tangibly and down-to-earth as we can. If you are a Christian like me, you might call it the Kingdom of God, but any word will do—and we can discover that word together.
As a worker cooperative pioneer and bootstrapper practicing “learning by doing”, I work to establish IT worker cooperatives firmly rooted in our society—democratic, one-person-one-vote organizations officially recognized under Japan’s Worker Cooperative Act implemented in 2022.
Core Skills & Role
True Generalist & AI Orchestrator: I am no expert in anything. Unconstrained by any specific language, framework, or operating system, I focus on the fundamental principles of how computers work. Deeply immersed in AI since the inception of our cooperative over the past 3 years, my primary role is AI orchestration—directing and integrating AI for software and systems development to solve real-world problems.
Co-development & Collaborative Projects
Oct 2022 – Present
- Website development and support for other cooperatives.
- Administrative automation services for Christian churches.
- Co-developing the website renewal and ongoing development for the Kanagawa Branch of the Japanese Workers’ Co-operative Union (JWCU) (https://kanagawa.jwcc.coop).
- Playwright-based E2E test automation consulting.
- Contributed to web application development for a US-based startup.
- Built a Google Sheets operations application for a client cooperative to streamline daily work and support worker autonomy (Oct 2022).
- Maintained and improved a Windows typing‑assistance application, enhancing user accessibility (Jan–Dec 2023).
- Contributed to software development support for a cybersecurity education platform (Jan–Jun 2024; Bulgaria/Israel).
- Exploring the development of focused Generative AI bots tailored to support the unique needs of worker cooperatives and empower human labor.
- Setup and integration of VOIP / IP PBX telephone systems for cooperatives and SMBs.
- Development of IT systems and data analytics platforms for healthcare and nursing facilities (e.g., KKSystem, HealthMan, CareMetrics).
- Civic tech and open data initiatives, promoting community-driven technology projects in local regions (e.g., Yugawara, Odawara).
- Cooperative business development around mathematical education services, including the development of logic/math software (e.g., Toy-Hauptsatz) and hosting local study sessions.
Full-Time Corporate Roles
Oct 2017 – Oct 2022
- Built a next‑generation risk‑reporting system, ensuring clear, truthful financial data visibility (Oct 2017 – Mar 2020; ~30‑person team).
- Migrated legacy systems to modern, scalable architectures for an insurance client (Jan 2021 – Jun 2021; ~15‑person team).
- Improved the performance and stability of a major securities firm’s risk system, significantly reducing system latency and operator stress (Jun 2021 – Oct 2022; ~10‑person team).
May 2007 – Jul 2017
- Developed a JEPX‑connected power‑trading system (May 2007 – Dec 2008).
- Built and operated enterprise risk‑reporting systems: migrated legacy spreadsheet models and end-user computing systems to automated, scalable applications to handle regulatory, daily, and monthly reporting, reducing manual toil and preventing burnout (Dec 2008 – Jul 2017).
Apr 2005 – Feb 2007
- Supported release operations and platform stability; created scripted diagnostics to support operators and maintain reliable trading environments.
Mar 2004 – Mar 2005
- Developed and maintained robust risk and trading systems.
Mar 2003 – Feb 2004
- Built internal web systems and maintained daily reporting; served on a 3‑person help desk at the Tokyo branch (~100 staff), directly supporting colleagues’ daily technological needs.
Jan 2002 – Jan 2003
- Developed corporate systems and built automated testing frameworks.
Oct 2000 – Oct 2001
- Developed online marketing and e‑commerce systems.
Education
Ibaraki University — B.A., Faculty of Education, Information Culture Program (Mar 2000)
