Bob Rost
Principal Software Engineer in Seattle, WA
Who I Am

I'm a Seattle-based principal software engineer and tech lead with 25+ years of experience, and I still get excited solving hard problems and building things that people actually enjoy using. I care deeply about the human factors of computing, including accessibility and equity, and I believe the best ideas come from diverse empowered voices.

My career has included time at Meta, Amazon, and several startups, with skills covering:

  • Game Development
  • XR
  • Client and Server Systems
  • Accessibility
  • Web
  • Audio
  • High Performance
  • Creative Tech
  • R&D and Prototyping

Most recently, I've been at Meta Reality Labs Research working on haptics research for XR, building expressive interactions, and the low-latency physical modeling systems and device drivers behind them, to create experiences that feel great to use and improve XR interaction.

I'm the kind of teammate who will bring snacks, draw topic-relevant comics on Post-its in meetings, and play bagpipes at team parties.

Open to Opportunities

As of April 2025, I am leaving Meta and am now open to new opportunities.

I'm looking for:

  • Remote-first or Seattle-based roles
  • Creative problem solving and technical depth
  • Highly-competitive compensation

Focus areas include:

  • Game Development
  • Client-side software (desktop, mobile, web, or console)
  • Finance / HFT
  • High performance computing
  • AI/ML-powered user experiences

I value a workplace filled with kindness, curiosity, and collaboration, and I do my best work with teams that balance technical depth with a sense of humor and purpose. I'm especially drawn to companies that invest in accessibility, inclusivity, and building with empathy.

Recruiters, please contact me via LinkedIn or Email

Skills and Experience

Programming Languages:

  • C++
  • Typescript / Javascript
  • HTML / CSS
  • C#
  • PHP
  • Python
  • Java

Platforms:

  • Web
  • Windows
  • Mac / iOS
  • Linux
  • Android
  • Microcontrollers
  • Haiku OS
  • NES

Game Engines:

  • Unreal
  • Unity
  • Open 3D Engine (Amazon Lumberyard)
  • Multiple custom game engines

Software Development Strengths:

  • Software Architecture
  • UI / UX development
  • Accessibility
  • Input Systems
  • Interaction Design
  • Game Design
  • Networking
  • Gameplay
  • Data structures and Algorithms
  • Application Development
  • R&D Prototyping
  • Creative Problem Solving

Soft Skills:

  • Team Leadership
  • Mentoring
  • Communication
  • Documentation
  • Comic Illustration (often for my kids!)
  • Bagpiping (ask me about it)
  • Skateboarding (I'm working on it)

Shipped Products

Screenshots and more detail are available on my portfolio page.

Video Games:

  • Crucible (2020) Amazon Game Studios
  • The Unmaking (2014) Amazon Game Studios
  • Photo Agent (2013) Amazon Game Studios
  • Living Classics (2012) Amazon Game Studios
  • Super Bride and Groom (2011) Mean Jellybean
  • Electrical Safety Sim: Low Voltage (2010) Etcetera Edutainment
  • Forklift Safety Sim (2009) Etcetera Edutainment
  • Bud Light Goalie Challenge (2009) Etcetera Edutainment / Budweiser
  • Bud Light Zomboni (2009) Etcetera Edutainment / Budweiser
  • Robot Rebellion (2009) Etcetera Edutainment
  • Paper Plane (2009) Etcetera Edutainment
  • Turtaur Fun Time Explosion Line Wiggles (2009) Etcetera Edutainment
  • Beach Ball Bonanza (2009) Etcetera Edutainment / Channel 4 (UK) T4 on the Beach
  • Keepie Uppie (2008) Etcetera Edutainment / Channel 5 (UK) The Gadget Show
  • Newsbreaker Live (2007) Etcetera Edutainment / MSNBC
  • Alcoa SafeDock (2007) Etcetera Edutainment / Alcoa
  • Earth and Beyond (2003) Electronic Arts
  • Star Trek Elite Force 2 (2003) Ritual Entertainment

Other:

  • Stream+ (2016) Amazon Game Studios
  • Lumberyard (2016) Amazon Game Studios
  • Fire Phone Games Website (2014) Amazon Game Studios
  • Safety Training Center (2010) Etcetera Edutainment
  • Operation Spy (2007) Etcetera Edutainment / International Spy Museum
  • Newsbreaker Live (2007) Etcetera Edutainment / MSNBC
  • Ben Franklin's Ghost (2005) Etcetera Edutainment / City of Philadelphia

Current Research: MiniDisc Audio Compression

MiniDisc is a portable music format from the 90s that still has a vibrant community supporting it. However, the existing open source encoder creates low quality output. I have been researching the format and related digital audio processing techniques with the goal of significantly improving the sound quality.

To do this, I studied digital audio techniques and reverse engineered undocumented portions of the bitstream format and decoding algorithm in order to create a new reference audio decoder, and over time fully document the format and all required audio algorithms and create a high quality encoder.

Recently, I successfully completed and released my decoder, now available on my Github. I have also started documenting my work at minidisc.bobrost.com and started writing my encoder, based on existing techniques I discovered and novel techniques I invented during my research.

Research Demo:

  • Input Carrot: A simple approach to smooth character movement on terrain
Past Research: NES Game Development

In 2001-2002, I led a development team to create the game Sack of Flour, Heart of Gold for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 2004, I developed and taught the class Game Development for the 8-bit NES at Carnegie Mellon University. Class lecture notes, development tools, and student game projects are available at:

Get in Touch!

If you're a recruiter or hiring manager and believe I may be a good fit for a position you're trying to fill, I'd love to hear from you.