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A note from the desktop

Keep moving. Stay curious.

Zhihao Li

I'm Zhihao, a software engineer in the Seattle area. I studied architecture before I found my way into software; the materials changed, but the urge to make thoughtful things stayed.

I take large systems seriously and build small apps for the joy of it. I save pieces of life in photographs and give my thoughts a home in words.

I don't need to understand the whole world. I only want to learn how to live vividly inside it.

Dreams, like classics, do not fade with time. They become more precious.

A few coordinates

Then · age 20

From architecture to software

I studied architecture before I found my way into software. The materials changed from space and structure to code and systems; the contradiction I wrote down at twenty stayed: serious about the craft, unwilling to lose the boyish curiosity.

Now · Seattle

Building systems that read

My days are spent on distributed systems, document understanding, real-time messages, and vector retrieval. In plain words: helping machines make sense of difficult documents so people can move with more confidence.

After hours

Making small native things

I build open-source Mac apps, write what I am learning, take photographs, and keep old Chinese RPGs close. Small tools can carry a surprising amount of care.

I have worked across enterprise software, Azure cloud platforms, applied AI, and document infrastructure. The systems grew larger; the question stayed small: can this be clearer, calmer, and more useful?

I still believe there are two things we should not trade away while growing up: our ideals and our conscience. Everything else can be refactored.

Say hello

Leave a note before you go.

An open-source idea, an interesting problem, or simply a hello from another corner of the world — my inbox is open.