Building scene
Formation voice field

Technical Lead · Systems Architect · AI Engineering

Bobby Chao

I architect and build production-grade AI platforms, agent systems, and real-time voice experiences, pairing technical strategy with hands-on execution.

15+ years designing scalable distributed systems, leading engineering teams, and turning emerging technology into products that ship. Creator and active maintainer of the open-source AI Phone Agent.

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About me
01

About Me

I am a hands-on technical lead and systems architect with 15+ years designing and scaling complex, high-performance systems from the ground up. I focus on production-grade platforms that connect solid architecture with real-world delivery across distributed backends and modern AI-driven applications.

My recent work centers on AI application architecture: agent-based systems, LLM orchestration, tool use, and real-time voice at telephony-grade latency and reliability. I care about agents that go beyond chat: systems that interpret intent, take action, and run workflows you can ship and operate.

I pair deep technical design with hands-on execution, with emphasis on scalability, reliability, and turning emerging AI capabilities into production-ready systems. I mentor engineers, lead technical direction, and stay close to the code where it matters.

Outside of work, I contribute to volunteer and community initiatives, using technology for positive social impact.

Open source

AI Phone Agent

I created and actively maintain AI Phone Agent, a ready-to-run Node.js and TypeScript starter kit for AI agents that answer real phone calls and talk to customers in real time, built on Amazon Connect, OpenAI SIP, and the OpenAI Realtime API. It handles the incoming-call webhook, call lifecycle, Realtime sideband connection, function tools, human handoff, and a hangup that waits for the agent to finish speaking, so developers can focus on their own prompts and business logic.

Dial +1 844 593 8442 to try the live demo, or read the source at github.com/bobbylkchao/ai-phone-agent.

amazon-connect openai-sip openai-realtime typescript mcp ccaas
02

Selected Impact

0 → 1

Defined technology vision and built foundational systems from scratch as one of the first technical leaders at Priceline.com Canada.

CCaaS × AI

Contact center architecture for phone sales in online travel, spanning Amazon Connect call flows and AI voice agents handling live customer calls.

Millions of users

Led architecture and development of a distributed mobile platform serving millions of users worldwide through rapid growth.

Open source

Created and actively maintain AI Phone Agent, a Node.js and TypeScript starter kit for building real-time voice agents on CCaaS platforms using the OpenAI Realtime API.

03

Experience

Jan 2022 — Present

Technical Lead · Priceline.com, Canada

  • Hands-on Technical Lead owning system architecture, engineering standards, and cross-team integrations across Priceline, Agoda, and Booking.com.
  • Led the architecture and development of B2B Phone Sales platforms from the ground up while remaining hands-on in coding, refactoring, and production delivery.
  • Serve as the B2B division's LLM expert, modernizing Phone Sales with AI agents, copilots, and custom MCP integrations.
Nov 2018 — Jan 2022

Technical Lead / Development Manager · CBRLife Media

  • Led architecture and development of a distributed mobile platform serving millions of users globally.
  • Held scalability, high availability, and performance steady throughout rapid growth.
Apr 2015 — Nov 2018

Technical Lead / Development Manager · XCLOUDGAME

  • Designed backend systems supporting 1M+ daily active users.
  • Built distributed architecture across four global data centers.
  • Led cross-functional teams to deliver reliable game services.
Apr 2014 — Apr 2015

Technical Lead · Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services

  • Owned technical management for client accounts, turning client needs into development requirements and delivery plans.
  • Provided development solutions across different client engagements.
Sep 2011 — Apr 2014

Software Developer · Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services

  • Developed web applications on Oracle, WebLogic, and HP-UX.
  • Analyzed client needs and translated them into technical development requirements.
04

Expertise & Value

AI & Agents

AI Application Architecture Agent & Tool Orchestration LLM Integration MCP

Voice & Telephony

Real-time Voice & Telephony OpenAI Realtime Amazon Connect CCaaS SIP

Architecture

System Architecture Microservices Event-driven Architecture Scalable API Design Message Queues (Kafka, AWS SQS)

Platform

Node.js TypeScript PHP React / Next.js / React Native GCP / AWS Terraform Docker & Kubernetes CI/CD MySQL / PostgreSQL BigQuery

Leadership

Technical Direction Performance & Security Analysis Mentoring & Leadership

Let's talk

Always happy to trade notes on AI agents, real-time voice, or system architecture.

[email protected] LinkedIn GitHub