Who Is Dillon

I’m inquisitive and always eager to learn! If I’m not constantly growing and expanding my knowledge, I get easily bored. When something doesn’t make sense, I’m determined to find out why.

I’m a free thinker! I embrace my mistakes and use them as an opportunity to grow. I try to stay away from making assumptions and find it important to look at things from different angles and explore perspectives that differ from mine.

I’m a problem-solver that always strives to find the most efficient route or simplest solution. Some people might call me a minimalist, but I’d rather not be pinned down to a specific label. After all, we often are the average of the five labels we assign ourselves.

I’m an ambivert. While I love adventure, meeting new people and discovering new places, I ultimately recharge my energy when I’m at home or in nature.

I’m a Californian, but I like to think of the world as my home!

What I do

I’m a full-stack Senior Software Engineer with a passion for product-building and problem-solving. With almost two decades of experience in web and application development, UI/UX design, system architecture and more, I’m a self-taught, gung-ho learner who loves a good challenge!

I’m driven by my passion for design and development, and I really enjoy working as part of a team to create meaningful products. I get a real thrill out of being part of the ‘why’ behind the product, understanding the bigger picture and figuring out how to make it happen. Collaborating closely with designers and product people is my jam!

By day, I’m the Principal Engineer and Co-Founder at Balnce AI. Our team is innovating the future of decentralized AI by building a secure, scalable platform that empowers users with personalized AI solutions. I’m proud to contribute to cutting-edge technology that bridges the gap between AI and human goals in a meaningful way!

By night, I’m a problem-solver! My passion is creating software that solves problems and meets needs, often ones that others haven’t considered. I built SocialLight to make traveling with friends simpler and to help people open up their social circles. I created RealVIP to make organizing nightlife activities easier. Currently, I’m working on VesselConnect to create a community for boaters who want to connect with each other.

I’m also someone who just loves a challenge! I build projects to explore new technologies, push myself to grow, and most importantly, have fun. Take MUTANTdragon for example; I challenged myself to research and recreate a unique user interface experience - just for the thrill of the challenge.

When I’m not coding away, you can find me out and about in the ocean! I’m passionate about preserving our beautiful coastline and often volunteer with the Surfrider Foundation - making sure beaches and waterways stay clean. It’s a rewarding way to spend my free time!

Other than that, I’m the kind of person who likes to embrace each day and what it has to offer. Life is too short to stress about the future, so I’m all for living in the moment.

Fun facts about me

I grew up splitting my time between Santa Cruz, CA and Palm Springs, CA.

I’ve lived in San Diego, CA since August 2012

I’ve been developing software professionally since 2006

I love boating, and exclusively dreamed of living on one until buying M/Y Antigua in 2017

Where you can reach me

Although this is my home on the internet! If you want to learn more about me and my software development projects, this is the place to be. But if you’re looking for more ways to connect with me, I’m also active on social media and other websites. So feel free to drop by and say hi!

I use Twitter to share my random thoughts and ideas, as well as connecting with other people who share similar interests. You can follow me @DillonMBaird .

On GitHub, you can find my profile and some of the awesome projects I’ve shared in open-source! You can find me at @DillonBaird .

I’m fairly regularly on LinkedIn so you can usually reach me on there @dillonbaird .

You can also reach out to me via email at hi@dillonbaird.io .