Hi, I'm Yongjie Xie, an atypical developer based in Waterloo, Canada.

Before diving deep into the world of code, I spent more than a decade in product management.

My career began in 2012, during China's mobile internet boom. I worked at companies including iQIYI, Wanda Pictures and Polang Movies, across established businesses and startup environments. At Wanda Pictures, I helped grow the WeChat Mini Program into the company's second-largest online ticketing channel, reaching 150,000+ daily active users.

In those years, I learned to listen to users, balance business goals with technical resources, and take ownership of delivery. That product mindset shapes how I work today: understand the user's problem, make deliberate product decisions, and carry the work through to delivery.

After a decade of designing features and writing documentation, my creative drive grew stronger. I wanted to do more than plan the blueprint — I wanted to build it with my own hands.

I started teaching myself HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js and databases alongside my product work. As I learned, I began turning product concepts into working applications, from browser extensions and content-driven web applications to conversational agents and retrieval workflows.

After moving to Canada, I completed Conestoga College's Mobile and Web Development diploma in 2026 with High Distinction and a GPA of 3.79/4.0. Alongside my coursework, I studied Python and AI agent development, applying that learning to independent products, client work and team capstones.

I bring a product perspective to development, starting with business value and user experience. I work across TypeScript, React, Angular, Node.js and Python, combining full-stack development with applied AI — retrieval, tool calling, structured generation and LLM integration — to build products that solve real problems.

If you are looking for a builder who understands both code and product, let's connect.

Ask me how I learned to code on my own.