About Tony Guntharp
Technology leader, maker, and proud Texan with a passion for building reliable systems at scale and creating things that matter.
The Story
I've spent 25+ years at the intersection of software, infrastructure, and open source. From co-founding SourceForge.net — one of the platforms that made open source collaboration mainstream before GitHub existed — to leading SRE at Google and Apple, I've always gravitated toward the hard problems at scale.
Today I'm a Senior Director/Distinguished Engineer (IaaS) at GEICO, leading the transformation from traditional IT to a modern engineering-focused culture. IaaS, PaaS, and the infrastructure that lets teams ship fast.
On the side, I founded DamageLabs in 2025 — privacy-first, self-hosted software for collectors and niche hobbies. The pattern: find an underserved niche, scratch your own itch, build the right tool, open source it.
Before all of that: 10 years in the US Army Airborne as a Combat Veteran. The discipline and leadership from that service shaped everything that came after.
My Philosophy
Solve Real Problems
Build tools you actually use. If you wouldn't use it weekly, reconsider building it.
Open Source Always
Every line of code is public. No hidden trackers, no proprietary lock-in, no surprises.
Self-Hosted First
Your data lives on your machine. SQLite and local storage, not cloud subscriptions.
Do One Thing Well
Each tool has a clear purpose. Feature bloat is the enemy of everything good.
How I Build
These aren't aspirations — they're the rules I actually follow.
Don't Build What You Won't Ship
Every project starts with excitement. Not every project deserves to exist forever. Be honest about what's active, on hold, and dead. Archive aggressively.
One Problem, One Solution
Solve each problem once and solve it well. When you see the same pattern three times, extract it. Not before — premature abstraction is worse than duplication.
Quality Over Velocity
Move fast, but don't move sloppy. Bugs that hide for years cost more than the time it takes to write a test. Ship less, ship right.
Maintain What You Ship
If people use it, keep it current. Stale dependencies aren't technical debt — they're neglect. If you're not going to maintain something, archive it honestly.
Standards Are Shortcuts
Conventions feel like friction on the first commit. By the tenth commit, they're the reason you can move fast without breaking things.
Solve Your Own Problems
The best software comes from scratching your own itch. Build tools you actually use. If you wouldn't use the product weekly, reconsider building it.
Open Source by Default
Share what you build unless there's a specific reason not to. Open source forces better code, better docs, and better thinking.
Small Teams, Big Standards
Small teams can move fast — if they have clear standards. Without standards, small teams create chaos. The two aren't in tension; they depend on each other.
Professional Journey
Senior Director / Distinguished Engineer (IaaS)
Leading the transformation from traditional IT to a modern engineering-focused culture. IaaS and PaaS solutions that enable engineering teams to build and deploy at scale.
Site Reliability Manager, iCloud Platform
Led the SRE team for CloudKit, Apple's cloud database service. Managed Content SRE and Workflows SRE teams within the iCloud Platform Organization.
Site Reliability Manager, Carrier Services
Managed the Carrier-SRE-MTV team. Focused on Rich Communication Services (RCS) and SMS aggregation. Built and scaled mobile messaging infrastructure.
Earlier Career
Co-founded one of the pioneering platforms for open source collaboration, hosting millions of projects before GitHub existed.
Airborne — Combat Veteran
10 years serving in airborne operations. The discipline and leadership from military service shaped everything that came after.
DamageLabs
Privacy-first, self-hosted software for collectors and niche hobbies. Every tool does one thing well and runs on your hardware.
- UAS-Log — FAA-compliant drone flight logging with RBAC and multi-tenant orgs
- Armory Core — Firearms inventory management
- Whiskey Canon — Whiskey collection management
- CLAHub — Contributor License Agreement management for GitHub
- Paper Trail Manager — Rails engine for PaperTrail audit logs
Open Source
Core Developer/Contributor:
- CLAHub — CLA management platform (revived & rewritten)
- Paper Trail Manager — Rails engine for audit logs (maintained since 2012)
- OpenROV — Open source underwater robotics
- Kandan — Open source chat application
- Titanium (Appcelerator) — Cross-platform mobile development
Advisor/Investor:
- Appgyver — No-code dev platform (Acquired by SAP)
- Flutter Wireless — Wireless technology solutions
Beyond Code
Drones
FAA Part 107 certified pilot. Commercial and recreational operations.
3D Printing
Active on Printables and MakerWorld. If it can be printed, it probably should be.
Whiskey
Collector and enthusiast. Bourbon, rye, and the occasional weird single malt.
Conservation & Hunting
Ethical hunting and habitat preservation. RMEF member.
Two States
Splitting time between Bandera, TX (Hill Country) and Half Moon Bay, CA (Bay Area coast).
Golf
Garmin-powered, data-driven improvement. Works better in theory than practice.
"Build things that matter. Share what you learn. Leave it better than you found it."