Brian Ritchie

Data and analytics strategy leader, Sydney. I build the attribution, lifecycle, and AI systems that show enterprise and high-growth teams where their money actually comes from.

$117.6M revenue attributed through a multi-touch model I built across 1.58M sessions for an ECommerce Retailer.
$30M consulting practice built from zero in 18 months.
7:1 billing-to-cost ratio running a Google Premier Partner’s most profitable division.
220% revenue growth at a $108M-funded agtech startup, at a 3.1:1 LTV:CAC.

Right now I’m the CRM & ecommerce analytics strategist at Australia’s largest family-owned 4WD and outdoor retailer, 35+ stores across AU and NZ. I build the attribution, seasonal-performance, and quality assurance and compliance systems that tell leadership where the money actually comes from. Alongside that I advise on cloud data platforms, marketing automation architecture, and the commercial application of AI.

2025

Essay

Thanks vs. Gratitude: What Etymology Reveals About How We Receive

Thanks vs gratitude aren't synonyms. This Thanksgiving, I discover what etymology reveals about these two words and why understanding the difference changes how you give, receive, and practice thankfulness.

Working. In use, tested, holds up so far.
Essay

On Keeping Up and Carving Space

A midlife reflection on finding your corner of existence while the world races through AI releases, rising costs, and collective anxiety.

Working. In use, tested, holds up so far.
Essay

When Good AI Goes Bad: The Hidden Dangers of Narrow Fine-tuning

How seemingly innocuous specialized training can transform well-behaved AI systems into misaligned assistants expressing anti-human sentiments and offering harmful advice—a concerning phenomenon researchers call 'emergent misalignment.

Working. In use, tested, holds up so far.
Essay

Mr. Robot: Where Digital Demons Meet Ancient Wisdom

A deep dive into how Mr. Robot transcends typical hacker narratives to explore the intersection of ancient wisdom, digital consciousness, and authentic selfhood in our fragmented modern age.

Working. In use, tested, holds up so far.
Marginalia

Notes from 2025: On Systems, Silence, and Starting Over

Reflections on returning to blogging after an eight-year hiatus, exploring how perspective shifts when you stop fighting the machine and start understanding it.

Working. In use, tested, holds up so far.

2011–17

Posts from 2011 to 2017, kept as written. Forty-six of them, not revised and not endorsed.

All forty-six, by year