Building Developer Tools That Get Adopted
What I learned transforming Stripe's internal docs from a pain point to a tool people actually like using.
DevToolsStripe
Read post→Founding Engineer @ Ardent.ai
I make developer
experiences better.
14 years shipping software across robotics, VR, infrastructure, and developer tools. Currently building AI assistants at Ardent.
juan.ts
/NOW
What I'm up to.
Last updated: January 2026Building Ardent
Founding engineer at an early-stage AI startup. Building an AI assistant desktop app where users can build their own tools and teams can collaborate efficiently with AI.
Full-Stack AI
Owning the full stack—from AI model integrations and sandboxed extensibility to the data layer and a custom UI component library.
Agentic Architecture
Deep in the AI infrastructure—Deno sandboxing, code-mode execution, MCP integrations, and real-time streaming.
Writing & Sharing
Documenting lessons learned from building developer tools and AI systems. Topics include agentic patterns, infrastructure optimization, and making complex systems simpler.
EXPERIENCE
Where I've shipped.
14 years of building products that people actually use.
- Building an AI assistant where users can extend it with their own tools
- Owning the full stack—from AI infrastructure to the data layer and UI
AI/LLMElectronTypeScript
- Tech lead on Radar fraud detection platform
- Founding engineer on Internal Docs—transformed it from a top 5 pain point to a highly-rated tool
- Developer Experience: GitHub Enterprise consolidation (8+ hr backups → 30 min), Stacked PRs system
DevToolsInfrastructureRuby
- Led robotics team shipping autonomous navigation and collision avoidance
- Built harvesting simulator that reduced testing cycles from 5+ hours to 15 minutes
RoboticsPythonSimulation
- Built social VR experiences in Facebook Spaces used by millions
- Shipped Groups integration, multiplayer video/music playback, and 360° photo portals
VRUnityGraphQL
- Built tools to automate solar plant layouts, reducing design time from days to minutes
- Developed AWS infrastructure and real-time monitoring for plant performance
AngularJSPythonAWS
2012 — 2013
GreenboticsSoftware Engineer
Greenbotics- First role out of college—developed control firmware for robotic solar panel cleaners
- Deployed to 100+ units. Acquired by Sunpower
RoboticsC++Arduino
WRITING
view all posts→Thoughts & learnings.
Essays on engineering, AI, and building products.
From Robots to Code Review
How building simulators for strawberry-picking robots prepared me for optimizing developer workflows.
CareerRobotics
Read post→The Case for Boring Infrastructure
Why sometimes the best engineering is the most invisible. Reducing backup times from 8 hours to 30 minutes.
InfraEngineering
Read post→
ABOUT
Beyond the code.
Dad of two amazing girls. Private and instrument rated pilot. Glider pilot. Former giant scale RC aerobatics competitor. YouTube creator teaching aerobatic flying. Car enthusiast with a racing sim in the office. Endlessly curious about how things work.