When Alexander Crettenand walked into ADT’s office in Irving, Texas, for the first time, he found himself in a room filled with every security system the company has ever built — every device, every model, every manual, all in one place. It wasn’t just impressive. It felt like stepping into the entire 150+ year history of ADT at once.
Crettenand, who joined ADT in June 2024 as vice president of software engineering for the Product Team, remembers the reaction clearly: It was the kind of moment that makes you stop, take it all in, and realize the scale of what you’re about to be part of.
“There is someone here who has a copy of every system we’ve installed,” he said. “Whatever a customer has in their home, we have it here to help solve their problem.”
More than just technology
Crettenand leads the team responsible for all user-facing software at ADT, from mobile apps and backend systems to the tools technicians use in the field to install your ADT+ system. But what stood out to him after joining ADT wasn’t the technology; it was the people.
“I don’t think I’ve met a group of people who are so strongly dedicated to what they do,” he said. “It’s contagious.”
That energy shows in how teams approach their work. Inside ADT’s product organization, the mission is not abstract. It is deeply personal.
“If there is an alarm in your home, you’re relying on the code that someone here wrote to detect that incident and dispatch help,” Crettenand said. “That’s a promise we’re making to customers. And we use these systems ourselves. We would not sell something we wouldn’t trust to protect our own families.”
At ADT, ideas meet momentum
The Product Team plays a central role in shaping how ideas are defined and brought to life for customers, Crettenand said. Work is done in small, cross-functional groups, where engineers partner closely with product managers focused on what customers need and with customer experience teams designing how those interactions come to life.
Because the teams are intentionally small, individuals have greater visibility, more responsibility, and direct influence on how a feature evolves and ultimately reaches customers.
“This creates a lot of opportunities to sponsor an idea, pitch something, build a demo and really create excitement around a project,” Crettenand said.
Members of the Product Team also have regular opportunities to present ideas, get feedback and connect directly with senior leaders, keeping their work visible beyond their immediate teams, he said.
What the ADT Product Team builds doesn’t stop at development. It’s supported by a network of installers, customer care teams and field technicians who bring those ideas into customers’ homes and help keep them running.
“You’re backed by one of the most trusted brands in the country,” Crettenand said. “We have the infrastructure to support what you build, while still staying nimble.”
Pushing what the system can do
Crettenand said the backing of a trusted company gives the team the opportunity to redefine what a security system can do in the real world. A major focus now is on applying advances in AI to move beyond basic alerts and build systems that can interpret what’s happening in a home.
For someone joining the team, that means working on problems like turning video clips into meaningful insights. Instead of simply flagging motion or showing a clip of an event, the goal is to help the system understand context and communicate it clearly to the customer. It’s the kind of challenge that pushes beyond traditional product work.
“If that’s what you’re looking for, then we have a great place for you,” Crettenand said.
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