Vicky Wenqing Li

Vicky Wenqing Li

Software Engineer Growth

Hi, I'm Vicky. Over the past decade, I’ve worked at the intersection of growth and engineering. I started in business and sales roles at adtech companies in China and Europe, then moved into hands-on engineering roles in the U.S. at Tesla, Workday, and Verisk. Today, I like start building with simple primitives: files, CLIs, and small scripts that help a business move quickly, while keeping a clear path toward proven systems like PostgreSQL or MongoDB when scale demands them. I’m now exploring where to commit long-term, especially around manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics - throw me messy data, I can turn it into systems or sell the results directly. On the side, I am building Aside for deep collaboration between humans and AI agents.

Resume

Principles

  1. 01

    Put customers first

    Earn customer trust by staying close to their needs, solving problems end-to-end, and making help feel human, especially when automation is not enough.

  2. 02

    Know the ground

    Stay grounded in evidence, business realities, and the tradeoffs in front of us. Clearly distinguish what is true, what is false, and what we definitely want to avoid. Separate facts, constraints, risks, and unknowns, so we can move from reality toward practical decisions.

  3. 03

    Build with open standards & interoperability

    Prefer interfaces, data formats, and workflows that connect cleanly with other tools. Durable systems should reduce fragmentation, not create more silos.

  4. 04

    Design for flow

    Create simple, thoughtfully designed experiences that reduce friction and distractions. Help people do meaningful work with clarity and joy.

  5. 05

    Grow through intentional partnerships

    Partner not just for reach, but for shared execution, better standards, and stronger long-term delivery.

Writing

Building

Aside

An agentic workspace in Obsidian — where humans and AI think, annotate, and build together in the same notes.

Aside preview 1
Aside preview 2

Collections

Fundamental knowledge SWE's in 2026 must have before I will even consider hiring them preview image
Geoffrey Huntley Feb 8, 2026

Fundamental knowledge SWE's in 2026 must have before I will even consider hiring them

Geoffrey Huntley on the baseline knowledge, workflows, and agent-era engineering fundamentals he expects software engineers to understand in 2026.
Agents
Steph Ango Jul 1, 2023

File over app

File over app is a philosophy: if you want to create digital artifacts that last, they must be files you can control, in formats that are easy to retrieve and read. Use tools that give you this freedom.
Primitives
Slack preview image
Tom DeMarco Jul 9, 2026

Slack

Brian's Notes summary of Tom DeMarco's case for healthy slack time: fewer burnout loops, less busywork, more room for reinvention, and better customer response.
Engineering Management Systems
The Goal preview image
T.O.C. Institute Apr 28, 2026

The Goal

​The Goal is one of three books that Jeff Bezo requires his top management team to read. In fact, he uses it as a framework for sketching out the future of Amazon.com.
Business Manufacturing Systems
Richard Hamming Mar 7, 1986

You and Your Research

Richard Hamming's Bellcore talk on doing first-class work: choose important problems, build prepared courage, keep a larger map of the field, and shape your career with intent.
Research Career
Michael DeForge preview
Jesse Balmer preview
Michael DeForge & Jesse Balmer May 25, 2026

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Artists

Instagram profiles for Michael DeForge and Jesse Balmer, artists whose cartoon and illustration work connects to Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake cartoon