Alaa Mendili

I am a software designer and founder
who connects the dots between
shaping strategy and shipping
beloved products.

Currently, I'm a Senior Principal Designer on Copilot at and the founder of , a member-funded network for recommendations.

Lately, I've been exploring the relationship between humans and agents, and building experiences that help them collaborate more efficiently.

Recent highlights

Telescope

I founded Telescope, a member-funded network where people share the best recommendations. I led product design, engineering, branding, marketing, and community to bring the platform to life. Read more on .

Architecture skill

As someone who's highly visual, I started to feel disconnected from what my coding agent was building. So I created a skill to help me (and others) dissect what it built and how. Read more on .

Reflective UI

I created a new UI framework powered by a decision model to generate UI on the fly with real-time intelligence. This enables experiences that understand intent and respond to what the user types, selects, or says with relevant controls and contextual actions.

Agentic content studio

To streamline social media content creation at Telescope, I built an agent with a bespoke harness. The agent creates marketing assets on its own, the harness lets me make explicit edits, and every edit trains the agent to do better next time. Read more on .

Experience

Senior Principal Designer, Copilot

Microsoft AI

2025—Now

Founder

Telescope

2024—Now

Fractional Design Director

Arcade.ai, Engine, Yuga Labs

2024—2025

Head of Product and Design

Mirror

2023—2024

Director of Product Design

Brud + Dapper Labs

2022—2023

Co-Founder

Dance Church

2020—2022

Principal Product Designer, Concept Lab

Amazon

2016—2021

Director of Design Engineering

Digital Kitchen

2011—2016

Design Engineer

B-Reel + Sid Lee

2005—2011

Outside of work, I’m a husband and dad living in Seattle, WA. I’ve lived and traveled around the world and speak four languages.
I’m a board member of the Henry Museum, one half of the DJ duo Amateur Hour, and a member of Buddy Buddy, a not-so-serious cycling club.
A few additional fun facts: I once lived in a triangle. I gave new life to a hundred-year-old player piano. And I co-founded a fitness startup that went viral at the onset of Covid.
Lastly, since you askednarrator: they did not, a few things I’m into lately: music by ASNA, Chuck Klosterman’s The Nineties, running gear by Ante Berlin, the Swedish movie Sound of Noise, and this oyster-shaped incense holder.