David Markley
I build large-scale systems.
I build high-performing leaders.
And increasingly, I build durable thinking.
Over 20+ years as a technology executive (following 10+ years as an engineer), I’ve led organizations at Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, Eurosport, Discovery Inc., MotorTrend Group, Sweetgreen, AOL, and several earlier-stage ventures.
I’ve launched more than 100 technology products: including 20+ entirely new platforms and 80+ major product expansions, improvements, and global live events.
But numbers alone don’t tell the story.
What I’ve really spent my career doing is this:
Turning complexity into execution.
Executive Leadership
As VP of Technology at Eurosport and across Warner Bros. Discovery properties, I led global engineering organizations responsible for streaming platforms, large-scale live events, and distributed infrastructure.
One of the most visible examples:
Shipping the 2024 Olympic Games streaming experience across 47 markets, in 19 languages, reaching 215 million viewers with 54 concurrent live streams.
That kind of scale doesn’t tolerate vague leadership.
It requires:
- Operational discipline
- Calm under pressure
- Clear decision ownership
- Teams that trust each other
Across my executive career, I have:
- Led 300+ engineering teams
- Promoted 10+ leaders into Director or VP roles
- Hired 20+ senior engineering leaders
- Coached 100+ technology executives 1:1
- Filed 12+ patents
- Built organizations that consistently delivered under pressure
At Amazon, I served as Head of Global Developer Relations for 7+ years, was an Amazon Bar Raiser, reviewed 8,000+ resumes, conducted 2,000+ interviews, and helped hire 1,000+ professionals across technical and non-technical roles.
At Warner Bros. Discovery, I helped design and launch the Hiring Champions program to significantly improve hiring quality and leadership rigor across the organization.
Engineering Roots
Before executive leadership, I spent more than a decade as an engineer and architect.
I was CTO of Outrigger Media.
Chief Architect at AOL.
And held multiple senior engineering roles building scalable consumer platforms.
I understand the work because I did the work.
That matters.
Military Leadership
I am a retired Major from the Army National Guard, where I led Engineer units in both combat-support and construction roles.
I commanded organizations during:
- Severe flooding recovery in Ohio
- Hurricane relief operations in Virginia
- Logistics preparation related to post-Katrina recovery
I also served in construction and “nation-building” operations abroad in Germany and Jamaica following Hurricane Gilbert.
The military taught me leadership under pressure long before I ever held an executive title.
It taught me:
- Clarity over volume
- Responsibility over status
- Calm over chaos
Those lessons carried directly into my civilian career.
What Drives Me
I am passionate about working with technically gifted people to create experiences that impact large communities.
I’ve seen what happens when:
- Engineers are trusted
- Leaders are disciplined
- Judgment is valued over noise
The most meaningful part of my career has not been product launches.
It has been watching people I coached go on to exceed my expectations.
When someone I hired or mentored becomes a VP, a founder, or builds something extraordinary, that impact compounds far beyond any single release.
Growing people scales better than launching products.
Today
Today, I focus on:
- Executive coaching
- Strategic advisory work
- Writing and teaching about leadership and execution
- Helping technically gifted leaders increase influence without becoming performative
If you’re building something large, navigating complexity, or preparing for a bigger role, I’m always open to thoughtful conversations.