# James Zhao

> Principal Software Engineer | Web3 Platform Development

Location: San Jose, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/jameszhao

With over 10 years of software engineering experience, I am a passionate and creative Web3 gaming expert and leader. I have a strong background in serverless computing, GraphQL, Redis, and other cutting-edge technologies that enable me to architect scalable and performant gaming platforms. I am motivated by the mission of creating immersive and engaging gaming experiences that empower players, developers, and creators. I bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the team, having worked with various gaming companies, banks, and social media platforms in the past.

In my current role, I am responsible for designing and developing the Web3 gaming platform as a service (PaaS) using React, NextJS, NodeJS, and Python. I also raised $11.2 million in funding for the project, demonstrating my business acumen and communication skills. I introduced serverless architecture to the platform, cutting infrastructure costs by 65%. I accelerated loading times using Redis with Postgres, cutting user churn in half. I standardized practices using GraphQL, increasing development velocity by 45%. I optimized SEO with NextJS and React, upping organic traffic by 32%. I leverage my skills in serverless computing, GraphQL, Redis, and other technologies to deliver high-quality and innovative gaming solutions.

## Work Experience
### Principal Software Engineer @ Kinetic
Jan 2024 – Present | San Jose, California, United States

### Senior Staff Software Engineer @ Rainmaker Games
Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 | New York, United States

### Senior Engineering Manager @ Yahoo
Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | San Jose, California, United States
Led 2 pods totaling over 2 dozen engineers, successfully delivered 2 major projects.
Optimized software release cycles and hit productivity milestones for 8 consecutive months.
Standardized engineering practices, reduced issues in production by 70% in 3 months.
Interviewed over 40 candidates over algorithms, system design, and company culture fit.
Split up bloated weekly meetings, following Agile Methodology. Reclaimed over 6 hours per week per engineer.
Prevented employee attrition on 3 separate accounts.

### Staff Software Engineer @ Yahoo
Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Jose, California, United States
Architected a new Video Streaming Client using Typescript, NodeJS, and WebAssembly.
Revamped existing Video Stream Infrastructure using Java.
Focused on backwards compatibility, with internal adoption reaching 80% after 3 months.
Folded 3 legacy codebases into 1, trimmed codebase size by over 60% while increasing maintainability.
Identified and pruned deprecated feature sets, Reduced server load by 35%.
On Call 24 / 7, Cut average triage down to less than 2 hours.

### Senior Software Engineer @ Silicon Valley Bank
Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | Santa Clara
Maintained a unified banking portal using Typescript, React, React Native, NodeJS, ExpressJS.
Conducted regular code reviews and Enforced over 95% code coverage.
Led migration to GraphQL, reduced API errors by 75%.
Automated testing and deployment using Jest and Jenkins, cut QA time by 40%.

### Full Stack Engineer @ Silicon Valley Bank
Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 | Santa Clara, California, United States
Built a management portal for partner Venture Capitalists using React, Typescript, and NodeJS.
Created shared components used by over a dozen development teams.
Earned the title of “Top Performer” after only 5 months of contribution.
Participated in architectural discussions and offered valuable insight on a weekly basis.

### Founding Engineer @ SpotMeSolutions
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 | San Jose, California
Launched AI parking app using Typescript, Python, Pytorch, CUDA, React Native, NodeJS
Leveraged embedded systems and SOC hardware, Reduced unit costs by 47%.
Utilized Agile and Scrum using JIRA, Increased feature output by over 30%.
Wrote and modified custom CUDA kernels, Accelerated AI training speeds by over 200%.
Improved UI / UX using Google Analytics - Strengthened user retention by 38%.

### Freelance Software Developer @ Unknown
Jan 2013 – Jan 2016 | San Jose
Focused on Javascript, React, NodeJS.
Built various software systems for dozens of clients on Fiverr and Craigslist.
Met deadlines 100% of the time, regardless of project size and scope.
Revamped and migrated Dozens of vanilla JS projects to use React.
Greatly simplified website deployments using AWS.


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/postgresql

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Source: https://flows.cv/jameszhao
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/jameszhao/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-03-29