Hello hello, Diego here!

I always struggle to define myself, so here is the “minibio-v43-final”: I’m a developer, designer, and rider of the chaos from ideation to iteration.

My tech journey began with a TK90X computer as a kid, a fascination that quickly evolved into hacking adventures using Remote Access Trojans (RAT). That thrill didn’t last long, my dad, a police officer, discovered my antics and made me left a txt file on people’s desktop saying that I was hacking them, how to fix it and then deleting the Trojan file. In college, I dove headfirst into starting a company with friends, convinced we were the next big thing. Things fell apart spectacularly, complete with a lawsuit.

After two decades in the educational and gaming industry, burnout came knocking hard. I was this close to ditching tech entirely. I embarked on a life-changing sabbatical around South America, rediscovering my purpose.

That journey eventually led me to immigrate from Brazil to the US to pursue the dream of building Youper AI, where I combined psychology and artificial intelligence to create an empathetic and clinically validated mental health platform. Along the way, I fell in love with the Bay Area’s energy and innovation.

Designing and delivering something meaningful is what drives me. I thrive on curiosity, growth, and making a real difference. I’m here to build horses, not unicorns.

Here’s what I’m up to now, a bit more on what I’ve done and my goals for this year.

Or just send me a long letter at [email protected]. I only read long emails, and you can expect a long reply from me.

Why am I writing here?

Every time I start writing about something, I end up doing some pretty unexpected research or connecting the dots to an insight. Those things usually turn into rabbit holes, which I totally love falling into.

I wish I had written more when I was younger, especially as a teenager. I always have so much fun reading stuff I wrote 20 years ago.

It also helps me lock in some memories. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and sometimes provides closure as well, which I think is really important these days. I hope it can also help someone else on their journey.

Plus, it makes me grateful and helps me remember the people who were somehow part of it.