Simon Betton | Principal Software Engineer in Auckland, NZ

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A software engineer with about 19 years experience — I thrive on problem‑solving, delivering bespoke solutions for entities varying from innovative startups to leading brands. A strong advocate for modern development architecture. Dedicated to creating simplified DX, better performance, cost-effectiveness and scalability.

Currently at House of Doge building products for Dogecoin to increase utility and adoption. Previously at OneTwo, pioneering transformative workflow automation for internal banking systems. Previously at GetSetUp, DDB, and more.

Recent work —

GetSetUp Platform

GetSetUp Platform

GetSetUp

An innovative EdTech platform revolutionizes learning for older adults by offering a wide range of interactive classes. GetSetUp's collaboration with AOL through a pilot program exemplifies its capability to extend educational content seamlessly to partners, enhancing its reach and impact. By prioritizing the empowerment of older adults through education and connection, GetSetUp stands as a leader in transforming how mature learners access and engage with new learning experiences.

Algolia
Apollo server
Auth JWT Tokens
AWS CDK
AWS DynamoDB
AWS S3
AWS SNS
AWS SQS
Cloudflare
Github Actions
GraphQL
i18n
Jest
Micro-services
Next.js
NoSQL
Node.js
Prisma
PostgreSQL
React.js
React testing library
Redis
Semi-RPC API Design
Storybook
Stripe Subscriptions
Superstruct
TypeScript
URQL

A Smart Green Future, Together

A Smart Green Future, Together

Plant and Food

Plant & Food Research, a state-owned institute, leverages cutting-edge scientific methods to revolutionise agriculture and food systems globally. As the lead developer, I played a pivotal role in the technical implementation of a performant, unrestricted, future-proofed web platform based on the JAMstack philosophy.

Algolia
Contentful
Gatsby
GraphQL
Headless CMS
Jamstack
Netlify
React.js
TailwindCSS
TypeScript

GeminAI Rising

GeminAI Rising

Alberta Health Services

An online learning program and game for grades 7-9 focusing on key social competencies: problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, self-concept, and coping skills. Aiming to equip students with the tools to face life's challenges, including potential influences like nicotine. The program shifts from outdated fear-based methods, promoting social competence, engaging learning experiences, and improved media literacy.

AdonisJS
AWS
AWS Aurora (MySQL)
AWS Elastic Beanstalk
AWS S3
Multi-player game
Node.js
React.js
Redis
REST API
Web Sockets (socket.io)

Helping New Zealand Succeed

Helping New Zealand Succeed

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

A purpose built web platform serving as a knowledge hub, empowering exporters with strategic resources and connections. The platform aims to enhance New Zealand businesses and Māori entities, connect them with suitable partners and investors, introduce global investors to local opportunities, and elevate New Zealand's business reputation globally.

Azure
Azure Cognitive Search
Contentful
GraphQL
Headless CMS
Jamstack
Next.js
React.js
Sass (BEM)
TypeScript

Scam the Scammers

Scam the Scammers

NetSafe

Utilizing IBM Watson's DeepQA for deep content analysis and evidence-based reasoning, Re:scam was designed to auto-reply to scam emails. The bot identifies sentiment, categorises messages, and effectively wastes scammers' time, diverting them from real victims. This process resulted in long, often amusing dialogues, thereby adding an element of humour to online safety efforts.

Algolia
AWS API Gateway
AWS Aurora (MySQL)
AWS Cloudformation
AWS Cloudfront
AWS CodeBuild
AWS CodeCommit
AWS CodeDeploy
AWS CodePipeline
AWS DynamoDB
AWS EC2
AWS IAM
AWS Lambda
AWS S3
AWS Secrets Manager
AWS SES
AWS SQS
Cloudflare
IBM Watson
Laravel
NoSQL
Node.js
PHP
Sendgrid Parse API
Serverless
Vue.js
Well Architected Framework

Fight for Territory

Fight for Territory

Lion

An innovative digital initiative utilising technology to stir fan engagement during the Lions Rugby Tour in New Zealand. The campaign harnessed a custom-built PHP platform, which efficiently coordinated 65 Raspberry Pis deployed throughout Auckland International Airport. These Pis were flashed with custom JavaScript software for facial recognition, providing a unique interactive experience for the fans. The whole network was connected via WebRTC, creating a robust local mesh network over the airport's WiFi, enabling synchronized and remote control capabilities.

IoT
JavaScript
MySQL
PHP
Raspberry Pi
Redis
WebRTC
Wi-Fi

Nationwide Free Wi-Fi

Nationwide Free Wi-Fi

McDonald's

A bespoke solution enabling seamless in-store internet access. Leveraged the Plexure API for authentication, offering account holders unlimited WiFi and guests 30-minute use. Successfully distributed, at scale, the service across the Vodafone Ruckus Network nationwide.

Unsullied

Unsullied

Sky

In a partnership with Twitter, thousands of "Unsullied Army" accounts were created to react to #CommandTheUnsullied. Using a custom dashboard and Twitter's Streaming API, the army could craft responses, retweet, and follow users in real-time. The project required IP whitelisting by Twitter due to its high request volume.

MySQL
PHP
Twitter Streaming API

Buzzdial

Buzzdial

Buzzdial

A startup designed to provide broadcasters with real-time sentiment analysis of live events, thereby equipping them with invaluable insights. This platform was architected to handle massive volumes of traffic and data which could be scaled up instantaneously, ensuring flawless operation even during peak times.

AWS Cloudfront
AWS EC2
AWS S3
Memcached
MySQL
PHP
Sass (BEM)

Video Streaming Mobile Apps

Video Streaming Mobile Apps

TVNZ

Partnering with Boston's Brightcove, I led the development of New Zealand's first on-demand streaming service apps for smartphones and tablets, leading the way in the Australasian market. Immediately after release, each app ranked as the #1 downloaded app. Developed from scratch using hybrid technology, it provided a user experience akin to native apps.

Brightcove App Cloud
JavaScript
Phonegap + Apache Cordova (hybrid app development)