Lee Byron

Lee Byron is a prominent figure in the technology sector, particularly known for his contributions to software engineering and product development. He currently serves as the Product Engineering Lead at Watershed, a position he has held since July 2022. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Engineering Manager at Robinhood from August 2018 to July 2022, where he played a significant role in enhancing developer infrastructure and product quality.123

Career Highlights

• Robinhood (2018-2022): At Robinhood, Byron led teams focused on developer velocity, frontend product infrastructure, and systemic product quality. He was instrumental in creating the App Foundations organization and the Design Systems team, which aimed to improve user experience and ensure consistent UI across the platform.23

• Facebook (2008-2018): Before joining Robinhood, Byron spent nearly a decade at Facebook, where he was a Senior Staff Engineer and a co-creator of GraphQL, a query language for APIs that has become widely adopted in the tech industry. His work at Facebook also included contributions to notable projects like React and Immutable.js.234

• GraphQL Foundation: Byron is the Executive Director of the GraphQL Foundation, where he leads initiatives to support the development and adoption of GraphQL technology across various platforms and industries.13

Education

Byron holds a Bachelor of Science in Human-Computer Interaction and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design, both from Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated in 2008.12

Personal Philosophy

Byron describes himself as someone who enjoys building both products and teams that create impactful technology. His commitment to open-source projects and community engagement is evident in his ongoing involvement with GraphQL and other initiatives.234