About

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John Seong

Lead Software Engineer
CPP Investments
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Hi, welcome to my blog!

Who Am I?

I'm John Seong, a Lead Software Engineer at CPP Investments (Canada Pension Plan Investment Board), where I build AI applications and agent systems for investment teams. I hold a Master's in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Ottawa (MIAI). My background spans cloud engineering, DevOps, and backend development, and I've dedicated my career to building robust, scalable systems that make a difference.

My journey began in 2015 at the Royal Military College of Canada, where I pursued computer engineering through a unique military-subsidized program. This opportunity allowed me to combine academic studies with hands-on IT support for military operations, laying a strong foundation for my technical career.

What sets my path apart is my commitment to service. I spent seven enriching years as a military officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, supporting critical IT infrastructure and operations. This experience taught me invaluable lessons about soft skills like leadership, resilience, and the importance of being a reliable team. Thanks to Avanade, I successfully transitioned to the private sector, where I've continued to grow and innovate in cloud technology.

At CPP Investments, I lead the development of AI applications and agent ecosystems that support investment decision-making at one of the world's largest pension funds. My work centers on technologies like MCP (Model Context Protocol), custom skills development, and agentic workflows, with a focus on architectural decisions that make AI systems scalable, reliable, and genuinely useful to investment professionals.

Prior to CPP Investments, I was a Tech Lead (Software Engineer III) at BCI (British Columbia Investment Management Corporation), where I led AI application development for private markets and built agent ecosystems using MCP and LangGraph. Before that, I served as a Senior Software Developer at WestJet, where I led the Integration and API Management team and implemented an API management layer that fronted internal APIs hosted on Kubernetes, driving architectural decisions that shaped the airline's digital transformation journey.

Beyond my professional work, I'm an active open source contributor. I contribute to OpenBB, the open-source financial data platform, where I've worked on standardizing exchange taxonomy data (ISO 10383), country membership group mappings, and CI infrastructure improvements. I also maintain an active lifestyle through competitive basketball.

My Story

My fascination with technology began in 2003 when my elementary school launched its first website. I was captivated by the ability to share content and connect with others through this new medium. That early experience sparked a belief that technology's greatest power lies in its ability to bring people together – a principle that still guides my work today.

Choosing to attend the Royal Military College of Canada was a pivotal decision shaped by both practical considerations and a desire to serve. Coming from an immigrant family, the fully subsidized education offered a path to pursue my dreams without the burden of student debt. The unique combination of military service and technical education has proven invaluable, equipping me with both technical expertise and leadership skills that inform my approach to software engineering.

What You'll Find Here

This blog showcases my professional expertise across several key areas:

  1. Cloud Architecture & DevOps: I share insights from my experience with Azure, AWS, and modern DevOps practices, including infrastructure as code, containerization, and CI/CD pipelines.

  2. Technical Writing: Through detailed articles and documentation, I demonstrate my ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively. All content is written in Markdown, reflecting industry best practices for technical documentation.

  3. Web Development: This blog itself is built using NextJS and TailwindCSS, showcasing my full-stack development capabilities. The source code is available on my GitHub, demonstrating my coding practices and commitment to open source.

  4. Enterprise Java Development: Insights about building microservices with Spring Boot, including security, API development, and performance optimization.

  5. AI & Financial Technology: RAG systems, AI agents, MCP integrations, and open source fintech tooling.

Feel free to explore my posts and projects. I hope you'll find valuable insights that can help in your own technical journey!