DerrickNguyen.

I build data-heavy web apps used by millions. From a learning platform for half a million officers to consumer products at Headspace. I pair deep frontend craft with the people skills to lead teams, and I'm never done learning: now going deep on AI at Georgia Tech.

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01 About

The short version.

I'm a senior software engineer who loves building data-heavy web apps. Frontend is my specialty, but I happily tinker across the stack.

Over the past several years I've shipped products used by millions : Axon Academy for 500K+ officers, the headspace.com platform, and Compass's Marketing Center for 30K+ agents. At Headspace I stepped up to Engineering Manager, leading a team of five.

Currently
Senior Software Engineer
Axon · Remote
Studying
MS Computer Science
Georgia Tech
Specialty
Data-heavy frontend, at scale
+ some backend
Based
Greater Los Angeles Area
United States
02 Experience

Where I've shipped.

Dec 2024 — Present
Remote
1 yr 6 mos

Axon

Senior Software Engineer
  • Led development of Axon Academy, an LMS serving 500,000+ law enforcement officers globally.
  • Architected the React frontend, integrated .NET APIs, and heavily influenced backend architecture while contributing across the stack.
  • Awarded the "Own It" value coin twice by peers for leading a high-stakes launch and building a comprehensive internal admin dashboard.
  • Won 1st place at the VR Pillars Hackathon, prototyping an internal LMS to replace a third-party dependency entirely.
  • Built a cross-platform Electron app from 0→1 letting agency admins bulk-register VR headsets and tablets in a single click.
React.jsTypeScriptC# / .NETElectronRedux
Apr 2022 — Nov 2024
Remote
2 yrs 8 mos

Headspace

Engineering Manager ← Senior Software Engineer
  • Managed a team of 5 engineers for the Membership squad — sprint planning, performance reviews, and hiring.
  • Led the migration of headspace.com from Gatsby to Next.js, cutting deployment time from 30 minutes to under 10 seconds.
  • Redesigned checkout flows to enable self-service promotions, boosting deployment velocity and cutting operational overhead.
  • Launched Headspace Coaching, bringing nationally board-certified coaches to members.
  • Designed a server-side tagging service with Google Tag Manager to improve performance and security.
Next.jsGatsbyNode.jsReactGraphQLLeadership
Jul 2020 — Mar 2022
Remote
1 yr 9 mos

Compass

Senior Software Engineer
  • Built Marketing Center, a browser-based design platform letting 30,000+ real estate agents create postcards, brochures, and digital marketing materials.
  • Developed core canvas-editor features — grouping, rotation, resizing, multiselect — with React and the Moveable library.
  • Implemented a print-to-PDF export pipeline converting digital designs into high-quality print materials.
  • Established deployment workflows, code-review standards, and onboarding docs for a 4-person team.
ReactAngularJSCanvasPrint Pipeline
Jul 2018 — Jul 2020
Seattle · On-site
2 yrs 1 mo

Axon

Software Engineer
  • Designed and built a customizable report-writing framework for Axon Records, improving usability for law-enforcement agencies.
  • Developed a rich-text editing library in React, improving consistency across multiple web applications.
  • Mentored junior engineers through pair programming and code reviews.
React.jsWeb Interface DesignRich Text
03 Education

Always expanding.

In progress

Georgia Institute of Technology

Master of Science in Computer Science
Jan 2026 — Dec 2028
Specialization: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence · Knowledge-Based AI · Machine Learning · Natural Language Processing · Human Computer Interaction · Software Development Process · Graduate Introduction to Operating Systems · Advanced Operating Systems · Computer Networks · Systems Design for Cloud Computing
'26
Completed

California State University, Long Beach

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Aug 2014 — Aug 2018
Computer Architecture · Networks · Security · Data Structures & Algorithms · Database Systems · Distributed Computing · OOP · Operating Systems · Probability & Statistics · Programming Languages · Software Engineering
'18
04 Toolkit

What I build with.

Frontend

  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Redux
  • Next.js
  • Gatsby
  • AngularJS

Backend & Data

  • Node.js
  • C# / .NET
  • GraphQL
  • MySQL

Building toward

  • Electron
  • DevOps
  • Distributed Systems
  • AI / Machine Learning
05 Contact

Let's build
something good.

I'm always happy to talk shop about shipping at scale, engineering leadership, or where AI is taking the craft.

Connect on LinkedIn Email me GitHub
© 2026 Derrick Nguyen