John Wainwright is an accomplished Australian computer scientist renowned for pioneering the development of pure object-based programming languages. As the principal architect behind ScriptX (1992–1996) and MaxScript (1996), his contributions reshaped multimedia and 3D scripting paradigms. His early contributions include selling Apple Computer his object-oriented structural framework “Objects in C,” which featured language and virtual machine design. This foundational work became the basis of ScriptX, developed at Kaleida Labs, which aimed to merge a scripting language with multimedia playback capabilities.
After Kaleida Labs shut down in 1996, Wainwright transitioned to Autodesk 3ds Max, leading the design of MaxScript, the platform’s scripting language. MaxScript supports explicit syntax tailored for 3D animation workflows and has been instrumental within pipelines like Maxis’s Sims series.
Wainwright’s executive leadership extends beyond development. In 2001, he co-founded Kontiki Inc. (later known as Kollective Technology Inc.), a company focused on peer-to-peer content distribution technologies. He became Vice President of Engineering as of 2015. Later, in 2007, he co-founded Crowd Science, an online ad-tech venture, alongside his nephew John Martin and Paul Neto. The company received funding from Granite Ventures, demonstrating his acumen in both technological innovation and entrepreneurial leadership.
Of particular note, Wainwright was Amazon.com’s first non‑employee customer, ordering the book Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies. Amazon honored him by naming one of their buildings after him—highlighting his symbolic importance to the platform.
In 2020, Wainwright co-founded Mirinae, Inc. in South Korea, where he engineered a Korean language learning cloud service (mirinae.io). His personal journey learning Korean inspired this venture, seamlessly combining his technical expertise with personal passion.
Most recently, Wainwright has been closely involved with Hyperflow AI, a no-code generative AI platform that empowers users to build complex AI workflows without writing code. Leveraging his decades of experience in software architecture and product leadership, he has contributed strategic insights and technical expertise to Hyperflow’s mission to democratize AI development. Hyperflow AI’s innovative approach aligns with Wainwright’s lifelong vision of creating accessible, powerful tools that enable creativity and productivity across industries.
John Wainwright’s career demonstrates a remarkable arc—from innovating object-based scripting languages to shaping media and animation pipelines, leading tech companies, applying AI-driven innovation to language learning, and now pioneering accessible AI development platforms. His technical legacy and entrepreneurial history make him a rare polymath within the computing world, continually pushing the boundaries of what technology can enable.
John Wainwright is an accomplished Australian computer scientist renowned for pioneering the development of pure object-based programming languages. As the principal architect behind ScriptX (1992–1996) and MaxScript (1996), his contributions reshaped multimedia and 3D scripting paradigms. His early contributions include selling Apple Computer his object-oriented structural framework “Objects in C,” which featured language and virtual machine design. This foundational work became the basis of ScriptX, developed at Kaleida Labs, which aimed to merge a scripting language with multimedia playback capabilities.
After Kaleida Labs shut down in 1996, Wainwright transitioned to Autodesk 3ds Max, leading the design of MaxScript, the platform’s scripting language. MaxScript supports explicit syntax tailored for 3D animation workflows and has been instrumental within pipelines like Maxis’s Sims series.
Wainwright’s executive leadership extends beyond development. In 2001, he co-founded Kontiki Inc. (later known as Kollective Technology Inc.), a company focused on peer-to-peer content distribution technologies. He became Vice President of Engineering as of 2015. Later, in 2007, he co-founded Crowd Science, an online ad-tech venture, alongside his nephew John Martin and Paul Neto. The company received funding from Granite Ventures, demonstrating his acumen in both technological innovation and entrepreneurial leadership.
Of particular note, Wainwright was Amazon.com’s first non‑employee customer, ordering the book Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies. Amazon honored him by naming one of their buildings after him—highlighting his symbolic importance to the platform.
In 2020, Wainwright co-founded Mirinae, Inc. in South Korea, where he engineered a Korean language learning cloud service (mirinae.io). His personal journey learning Korean inspired this venture, seamlessly combining his technical expertise with personal passion.
Most recently, Wainwright has been closely involved with Hyperflow AI, a no-code generative AI platform that empowers users to build complex AI workflows without writing code. Leveraging his decades of experience in software architecture and product leadership, he has contributed strategic insights and technical expertise to Hyperflow’s mission to democratize AI development. Hyperflow AI’s innovative approach aligns with Wainwright’s lifelong vision of creating accessible, powerful tools that enable creativity and productivity across industries.
John Wainwright’s career demonstrates a remarkable arc—from innovating object-based scripting languages to shaping media and animation pipelines, leading tech companies, applying AI-driven innovation to language learning, and now pioneering accessible AI development platforms. His technical legacy and entrepreneurial history make him a rare polymath within the computing world, continually pushing the boundaries of what technology can enable.