Gilles Clément K.
Also known as GC.
Minimalist and realist.
In constant pursuit of simplicity.
Minimalist and realist.
In constant pursuit of simplicity.
Research Arcs
Purpose x VDF Studio x Narrow
Narrow is a product expression of the Purpose and VDF research, now being developed and tested for everyday use.
VDF Studio x Agiles
Turned raw context about product thinking into a navigable project surface for innovation-based project management.
VDF Studio x Scentimental
Turned raw context about scent, memory, and laundry as ritual into a live visual brand system.
VDF Studio x PCP
From Purpose’s research foundations, VDF integrates PCP, the Portable Coherence Protocol, to maintain the state of thinking across sessions.
Purpose x VDF Studio
Turning thinking into a space you can stand inside of and steer, reshape, and reuse.
Purpose x Field Research
Making posture visible: how coherence infrastructure eliminates coordination overhead.
Purpose x Research Paper
Model-agnostic safety overlay for conversational AI, with parametric posture control.
Purpose x AI Confusion
When AI decides too quickly: a small experiment in confusion, involving pizza ordering with AI.
Purpose x AI Safety
Why AI safety fails at runtime and how conversational coherence can be enforced.
Purpose x Research Discovery
Parametric safety overlays: a model-agnostic approach to conversational AI safety.
Purpose x Intelligence
Bringing rhythm to human-AI interactions with intent-governed conversational systems.
Purpose x Purposely
Exploring how intent can become real-time networked coordination.
Purpose x Privately
Exploring how knowledge can become intent with real-time feedback loops.
Axel x Purpose
Enhancing human-AI interactions through mathematical precision.
Research Lab, transcending enterprise limitations with organized initiatives to solve surface level and deep human-centric problems.
Jackson Hewitt — 2025 - Present | Principal Architect
Designed, built, and shipped a $2M nationwide bookkeeping initiative (0-1 in 90 days, piloting across 7 markets / 738 offices), integrating Xero into existing tax workflows across 9 functions with minimal engineering overhead. Built the commercial case end to end: market positioning, tiered pricing with unit economics, cost-to-serve models, and the FY27 investment case.
Recognized as "catalyst for change" by executive leadership.
Field Note Recognized as "catalyst for change" by executive leadership.
Axel — 2024 - Present | Founder · Principal Researcher
Axel is an abstract research lab, exploring human-systems interactions, and the future of work to reshape personal and professional growth in the AI era. It works on problems that do not yet have a name or fit an existing category, product, or explanation. At a minimum, we begin with the maximum.
Deck SkillDirector — 2015-2023 | Senior Director, Product + R&D
Employee #1. Partnered with the Founders for 9 years through four roles, set and executed the vision, and delivered EdTech (competency-based skill development) and personalized learning solutions. Instrumental to their acquisition in 2022, drove growth in Fortune 500 customer acquisitions, including TysonFoods, Honeywell, and LinkedIn.
1 of 4000+ StayHooked — 2012 - 2014 — 2026 - Present | Founder
StayHooked explored how digital platforms shape motivation, habit-building, and brand loyalty in the fitness industry, leveraging social mechanics before influencers were mainstream. Ambitious enough to believe it could be the next Nike. Pulled the plug soon after realizing feeding dopamine addiction in social media was a losing battle. Stepped back to understand the deeper epistemology. This was the onset for what became Axel, without the vocabulary to frame it at the time. The 2026 return exist because the vocabulary is now grammar, with deeper thinking.
Deck MindComet — 2005-2012 | Technical PM
Ad Agency. First in Social. (closed in 2012).
College Intern: Systems Administrator.
Post-Grad: Systems Engineer.
Later: Technical PM.
College Intern: Systems Administrator.
Post-Grad: Systems Engineer.
Later: Technical PM.