AI Engineering Executive · Abu Dhabi · Prague · Seattle

Building AI and cloud platforms that serve hundreds of millions.

I lead engineering organisations that turn ambitious product bets into reliable systems at global scale, from agentic AI for manufacturing to social platforms and games played around the world.

Portrait of Michael Hrádek in a navy suit

Currently

Sr. Director, AI Engineering

AI71 · Abu Dhabi

I lead AI/ML strategy, LLM development, and AI architecture, with data science, ML, and software engineering teams building responsible, secure AI systems.

Since January 2026

Chief Technology Officer

Edaiga · London

I lead our AI consulting and software work: readiness assessments, strategy, and tailored AI products that keep evolving after launch.

Since August 2025

Selected impact

  • 99.9%GroupMe platform availability, up from 94%
  • 39M+GroupMe monthly users, a 62.5% increase in two years
  • 100M+monthly active users on the multi-region game platform I architected
  • 85.7%lower customer QA failure rates with an AI Factory Operations Agent
  • 4engineering organisations of 60⁠–⁠90+ people I've led across the U.S., Europe, South America, and India
  • $40M+in multinational contracts under my P&L ownership
  • <1%app crash rates, driven down from as high as 10% at Best Buy, Disney, and Zumobi
  • 50%lower fraud rate in the Best Buy apps, from 1.4% to 0.7%

Agentic AI for manufacturing

I took Microsoft Cloud for Industries' Manufacturing Data Solutions on Fabric from inception to general availability, with RAG, dynamic KQL, and Copilot Studio agents demonstrated with partners like McLaren, Rolls-Royce, and Bridgestone.

Social at massive scale

I led Microsoft Teams & GroupMe platform services: billions of encrypted messages, a move to Terraform and Kubernetes, and lower costs alongside higher reliability.

Global game platform

I built The Pokémon Company's game studio services group from the ground up and turned a monolithic prototype into a distributed platform for mobile, console, TV, and web.

Mobile commerce in the parks

I brought ticket sales, PhotoPass, and Shop Disney Parks to mobile at Walt Disney World, plus onboard chat and offline-first apps for Disney Cruise Line.

Experience

  1. 2026 —

    Sr. Director, AI Engineering

    AI71 · Abu Dhabi

  2. 2025 —

    Chief Technology Officer

    Edaiga · London

  3. 2024 – 2025

    Head of Engineering, Cloud + AI for Manufacturing & Mobility

    Microsoft · Prague

  4. 2021 – 2024

    Sr. Director, Teams & GroupMe Platform Services

    Microsoft · Prague

  5. 2017 – 2021

    Sr. Manager & Principal Architect, Game Studio Services

    The Pokémon Company International · Bellevue

  6. 2016 – 2017

    Sr. Manager, Engineering, Amazon Flex

    Amazon · Seattle

  7. 2015 – 2016

    Director, Engineering, Mobile & Services

    Best Buy · Seattle

  8. 2013 – 2015

    Manager, Technology, Mobile & Services

    The Walt Disney Company · Seattle

  9. 2006 – 2013

    Earlier

    Guild Wars web platform at ArenaNet, full-stack lead at DomainTools, co-founder of MokaSocial, and mobile SDKs and about 60 apps at Zumobi

Full CV (PDF, 200 KB) · LinkedIn

About

I'm a hands-on leader: I build high-impact teams, align technical strategy with the business, and stay close to the architecture.

I've spent more than fifteen years leading engineering in enterprise and startup environments, with deep roots in infrastructure, distributed systems, and mobile. My approach is servant leadership with a high bar: clear rhythms of business, data-driven roadmaps, and engineers who grow.

I hold Czech, Polish, and U.S. citizenship and a U.A.E. Golden Visa, and keep homes in Abu Dhabi, Prague, and Seattle with my wife and four children. Outside work I travel, make music, cook, and work on my health.

Languages
English, Czech, Polish, German, Arabic (learning)
Focus
Compound AI systems, cloud platforms, systems design
Speaking & recognition
Speaker at WebExpo Prague 2025 and Econverse Prague 2024; Hannover Messe 2025 product demonstrations; published “Handling Low Network Situations on Mobile” (Disney, 2014)
Community
Executive sponsor, Microsoft Development Center Prague Learning & Development; Microsoft Global Hackathon judge

Let's talk.

I'm open to advisory, board, and executive conversations about AI and platform engineering.