Adrian Macneil — CEO & Co-Founder, Foxglove
Core Details
- Name: Adrian Macneil
- Current Title: CEO & Co-Founder
- Company: Foxglove (https://foxglove.dev)
- LinkedIn: [Adrian Macneil](http://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianmacneil)
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Education: Massey University
- Professional Reach: _500+ LinkedIn connections_
- GitHub: [amacneil](https://github.com/amacneil) (_435 followers, significant open source activity_)
- Public Presence: Frequent speaker and panelist at industry conferences (Robotics Summit, RoboBusiness, podcasts)
Professional Background & Expertise
Adrian Macneil is the Co-Founder and CEO of Foxglove, a company positioned at the core of the robotics industry’s transformation. Foxglove's mission focuses on _increasing the GDP of robotics_ by delivering _polished, off-the-shelf developer tools_ and _robust infrastructure_. The company’s products enable robotics teams to accelerate their transition from prototype to production by providing advanced visualization and data management solutions. This focus is embodied in Foxglove’s guiding narrative: _“Goodbye prototypes, Hello production,”_ acting as a strategic anchor for both product development and customer engagement.
Previously, Adrian served as the Director of Infrastructure Engineering at Cruise. In this role, he was instrumental in _scaling Cruise’s autonomous vehicle fleet from initial prototypes to hundreds of operational units_, providing him substantial experience in large-scale robotics and infrastructure buildout. There is a minor discrepancy in sources between the titles "Director of Engineering" (robobusiness.com) and "Director of Infrastructure Engineering" (roboticssummit.com, crunchbase.com), but both agree on his primary leadership capacity at Cruise and his key role in company scaling.
Foxglove: Company Profile & Value Proposition
Foxglove develops foundational tools and infrastructure for robotics teams, with special emphasis on:
- _Highly polished, off-the-shelf developer tools_
- _Comprehensive data visualization and management_
- Support across the full lifecycle of robotics development (_from prototype to real-world production_)
The company promotes a _100% remote organizational model_ (as publicly noted by Adrian), targeting modern, distributed development workflows. This approach likely appeals to global teams and organizations investing in scalable robotics solutions. Foxglove’s tools are marketed as essential for robotics companies seeking to streamline R&D, optimize performance, and reduce time to market.
Technical & Community Contributions
Adrian maintains an active open-source profile on GitHub (_amacneil_), with highlighted repositories including:
- dbmate: A _widely used, framework-agnostic database migration tool_ (6.1k GitHub stars), indicating deep expertise in data tooling and developer-focused infrastructure.
- Tools related to cryptocurrency and blockchain infrastructure (cryptogains, docker-bitcoin), as well as Node.js server testing, demonstrate a broad technical base and ongoing engagement with the developer community.
- _42 following / 435 followers_ on GitHub, reflecting peer recognition and network reach within engineering communities.
Public Engagement & Thought Leadership
Adrian is a recognized speaker and panelist at major industry forums:
- Robotics Summit & Expo (May 2024): Delivered an address titled _“One Model to Rule Them All: How far Away is General-Purpose Robot AI?”_
- RoboBusiness (October 2024): Participated in a panel discussion on _“Generative AI’s Impact on Robotics.”_
- Podcasts: Featured in “The Bigger Narrative” with a focus on Foxglove’s product journey from prototypes to scalable production solutions.
These appearances position him as an influential thought leader on the adoption of AI, general-purpose robotics, and the tools and processes needed to scale advanced robotics solutions.
Additional Data Points
- Remote-First Leadership: Foxglove operates as a _100% remote company_, a fact Adrian has highlighted as both a differentiator and an enabler of recruitment and innovation.
- Industry Focus: Foxglove’s strategic narrative and product roadmap are deeply aligned around enabling roboticists to rapidly iterate and deploy production-grade systems.
- Professional Ethos: Adrian’s career trajectory and public messaging consistently emphasize _scaling, automation, and infrastructure excellence_, offering strong alignment for organizations or partners operating in automation, AI, and engineering domains.
Summary of Actionable Insights
- Key Executive at a leading robotics data tooling provider with engineering leadership roots at Cruise, a pivotal autonomous vehicle company.
- Technical credibility confirmed by an active open-source portfolio and participation in high-profile tech conferences.
- Focus on customers needing rapid, reliable transition from prototype to production in robotics — a strong fit for enterprise, research, or scaling robotics projects.
- Emphasis on polished, off-the-shelf tools and remote-ready workflows indicate openness to global partnerships and developer communities.
For organizations engaging with Foxglove or Adrian Macneil, particular value can be found in shared interests regarding scalable AI/robotics infrastructure, developer productivity, and full-lifecycle support in high-growth robotics markets.
