Michael Abernethy

Mr. Abernethy serves as CTO, and leads the team in the development and testing of the Optimal Auctions software product, as well as managing the server infrastructure, scalability, performance, and security of the product. He serves as the lead in the design and implementation of every aspect of the expert auction projects. Prior to joining Optimal Auctions, Mr. Abernethy was a Senior Technical Team Leader at IBM, managing the testing on IBM's flagship product, WebSphere Application Server. He oversaw the successful launches of 3 versions of WebSphere, ones noted for their stability and reliability, all aspects of focus for Mr. Abernethy. He received numerous awards and accolades for his work in automating and improving the testing and quality assurance process within WebSphere. Mr. Abernethy is also a world-reknowned specialist in user interface design and coding, with his articles on the subject garnering over 1 million views. Additionally, while at IBM, Mr. Abernethy was extremely active in the patent and intellectual property aspects of the business, with 21 patents filed with the USPTO.

Mr. Abernethy also received the title of "Master Inventor" during his time at IBM. Mr. Abernethy has been in technology and software for 24 years. He graduated from Duke University with a degree in Computer Science and Economics, and graduated with an MBA in Finance from The University of Texas-Austin.