When John Viega and his co-founder Mark Curphey set out to build Crash Override, they weren’t chasing a quick fix or a niche problem. Instead, fueled by a mix of shared excitement and what John calls “early retirement energy,” they dove deep into the cybersecurity landscape. Over the course of interviewing more than 100 industry professionals and studying their workflows, they sought not just to uncover pressing problems, but to identify solutions that could scale and deliver meaningful impact.
“We weren’t trying to solve just any problem,” John explains. “We wanted to understand how people would operationalize solutions and create something that would really move the needle.”
A Fortunate Journey Shaping a Vision
John describes his career path as one marked by fortunate timing and a steady layering of experiences. After grad school in software, he quickly found himself immersed in security and went on to write one of the first books on the subject for developers. Around that same time, he met Mark, who had founded the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP).
“I got used to having an impact very early,” John shares. “That’s what I live on.”
Evolving Beyond Security
Crash Override initially set its sights squarely on security challenges. But as conversations with engineers and stakeholders grew, so did their understanding of the broader landscape.
“We started hearing from people outside the security bubble. Engineers and other teams were facing huge visibility problems,” John recalls. “It wasn’t just about security anymore. The opportunity to create impact was broader than we imagined.”
This realization expanded their customer base into areas like platform engineering, software development, and even finance, and it brought new motivation. For John, who has seen how insular the security industry can feel, discovering fresh energy and demand outside the echo chamber has been both refreshing and rewarding.
The Core Challenge: Connecting the Dots
For customers, the biggest challenge lies in quickly and accurately connecting the dots within complex software systems.
“Is there an outage? Who owns it? What changed? Is this code important or just noise?” John notes. “Answering these questions can take developers hours — time companies simply don’t have.”
Crash Override’s deep build inspection technology automates these connections across data silos, offering clarity and saving teams valuable time when it matters most.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Incident Response Technology
John believes incident response technology will look dramatically different in the next three to five years, thanks in large part to advances in AI.
“It’ll be seamless. Teams across entire organizations will engage without today’s noise and confusion,” he says. “We’ll know exactly who to talk to during incidents, eliminate unnecessary alerts, and manage changes more effectively.”
He envisions tailored software experiences designed uniquely for each organization, making enterprise security far more intuitive and manageable than it is today.
Advice for Aspiring Founders and Leaders
When asked what advice he would give to aspiring founders, John emphasizes passion over profit.
“It has to be a labor of love,” he explains. “On average, people often make more money working in established companies, so don’t do it just for the money. Believe in the impact you want to make.”
At the same time, he stresses that impact doesn’t only come from startups. Larger companies can also provide powerful opportunities for those seeking to make a difference.
What’s Next for Crash Override?
John is especially excited about how CrashOverride is helping customers manage resources more effectively — sometimes in ways the team didn’t anticipate.
“We’re helping people make sure they’re getting the most out of their investments. Deploying where they want, ramping down what they don’t need, and avoiding double payments. It might sound boring, but it’s huge,” he says with a smile.
For John, impact is never boring — especially when it involves solving problems that no one else has been able to tackle effectively.
Crash Override’s story is a reminder that the most meaningful innovations often emerge when founders think beyond industry silos and focus on broad, lasting impact. As John puts it, sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from making complex problems feel as simple as dropping an AirTag in your pocket.
