About

Lindsay and me on Hā‘ena Beach in Kaua‘i on June 13, 2023. This photo was taken with my new phone, after I lost my last one in the ocean the day before. If you find it, please email me so I can see my turtle video.

Hi, I’m Rocky Smith, and this is my blog. I’m a software engineer living in San Francisco. I work at OpenAI, an AI research and deployment company, and helped build Voice Mode in ChatGPT.

I grew up rollerblading and crushing Sonoran-style burritos in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m pretty sure I wanted to move to California after watching the movie Brink!. The movie opens with Brink and his friends missing the bus, then deciding to skate all the way to Venice Beach. Jordy initially protests, “Guyzzz, it’s like a million miles away.” Brink, with a huge grin, says, “When you woke up this morning, did you say to yourself, ‘Today I’m going to talk,’ or ‘Today I’m going to skate?’” They then skate through town—jumping over tables, grinding rails, and bombing hills—until they reach the skate park at the beach. I can’t prove it, but I believe that scene is why I ultimately decided to move to San Francisco when I was 25.

Five years later, I met my wife, Lindsay. We traveled, bought a house together, and got married in the redwoods in 2022.

Anyway, most of what I write is for my private newsletter (intended for friends and family), but I started this blog to share the occasional public post. It’s all for fun.

You’re welcome to subscribe to my newsletter, and you can also find me on Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn.