About

Builder. Philosopher. Perpetual traveler.

I'm an AI Consultant & Developer and digital nomad dad based between Chiang Mai, Harare, Cape Town, and Baltimore — helping small businesses use AI to do more with less. Before I was a developer, I spent eight years building a philosophy events organization across three continents.

That background isn't a detour. It's why I build differently. I listen carefully, think in systems, and communicate technical work in plain language. My clients get better outcomes because I understand what they actually need — not just what they asked for.

Jon Dallas on a balcony with city skyline at golden hour

The Story

From stage to server, through 12 countries.

I grew up in Maryland, studied theatre and philosophy at Towson University, and spent my twenties doing what made sense at the time: teaching English in Vietnam, founding a philosophy events company in Hanoi, trekking through Thailand, getting married in Zimbabwe.

I discovered coding at 30 — and it immediately felt like the most creative thing I'd ever done. Not because it was technical. Because it was a new way to build things that matter.

I got serious about AI integration in 2023, when the tools crossed a threshold that made them genuinely useful for building real systems. Since then I've built an AI resume rewriter, an SEO content engine that generates 450 articles in 48 hours, a Chrome extension that saves real estate agents 36 minutes per listing, and two dozen other systems for clients across the US, UK, and Africa.

I'm doing this because I want the financial freedom to put real time into Real Talk Philosophy — a community I believe the world genuinely needs right now. The AI work funds the philosophy work. And the philosophy work makes me better at the AI work.

Jon at desk with code on laptop, holding coffee

Jon leaning against wall, casual and approachable

Technical Skills

The stack.

AI & Machine Learning

LLM Integration (OpenAI, Anthropic)
Custom AI Agents & Multi-step Systems
RAG System Design
Advanced Prompt Engineering & Chaining
Vision API Implementation
Structured JSON Output Design

Full-Stack Development

JavaScript / TypeScript / React
Node.js / Python
Chrome Extension APIs
RESTful API Integration
Coda.io (Expert — 200K+ monthly invocations)
7 Custom Coda Packs published

Data & Analytics

SQL Database Design (58+ table systems)
Web Scraping & Data Extraction
Google Search Console API
ahrefs & SEO Analytics
AWS / Google Cloud / GDPR
R / Tableau

Timeline

Key moments.

2026

Senior Developer, SimplaDocs (Contract)

Designing and building custom Coda systems, AI tools, and custom packs for enterprise clients.

2023

Founded Jon Dallas AI, LLC

Started freelancing as an AI Consultant & Developer. First major clients: Resume Worded, Pam Golding Properties, Propertybook.co.zw.

2022

Moved to Zimbabwe

Followed my wife Jess back to Harare. Son Bodhi was born. Pivoted fully to tech work for the first time.

2020

COVID. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Real Talk Philosophy went on hold. Started learning to code seriously. Sat with forest monks at Wat Pa Tam Wua.

2017

Founded Real Talk Philosophy

First event in Hanoi. Eventually grew to 12 chapters across Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and online. 8,000+ guests, 263+ events.

2017

TEDx Speaker, Hanoi

Spoke at TEDx Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam.

2016

Moved to Vietnam

Taught English to children. Founded Nerd Nights and the Hanoi Philosophy Forum. Began yoga teacher training.

Beyond the Work

Real Talk Philosophy

Since 2017, I've run Real Talk Philosophy — a community events organization that creates fun, interactive, multimedia events exploring contemporary divisive issues: masculinity, veganism, immigration, surveillance capitalism, AI, and more.

Not debates. Not lectures. Facilitated conversations where everyone feels heard. We've done 263+ events across Asia, Africa, and online. It's the work I care most about — and one of the main reasons I'm building AI tools for a living.

263+

Events hosted

8K+

Guests worldwide

Chapters globally

Countries

Jon hosting a Real Talk Philosophy event — packed crowd in discussion

Real Talk Philosophy — audience watching presentation at venue with neon lights

What People Say

In their words.

"Jon was instrumental in transforming how Resume Worded operated behind the scenes. What started as one process improvement project quickly evolved into him becoming our operational backbone. He built several programmatic tools that automated complex workflows, and even helped us launch an entirely new AI-powered resume services product from the ground up. Any company looking to build custom AI solutions or internal tools would be lucky to work with him — he's got both the technical chops and the business acumen to deliver real results."

— Rohan Mahtani, CEO, Resume Worded

"Shoutout to Jon Dallas — crushed it with a client demo for PGE today. Really took the time to understand where they are coming from, built up their trust, re-engaged them in the Coda experience, and took the time to explain not only what he built, but why he made the choices that he did and how the interworking of the doc really operates."

— Jordyn, SimplaDocs

"Overall, I am so impressed with how all of these components are working together. Building an equivalent system like this purely via manual code would be several months of a dedicated dev's effort, so your smarts + no-code knowledge of Coda really showed here and has given me stuff to think about in terms of what's possible."

— Rohan Mahtani, CEO, Resume Worded

"Jon exceeded all expectations with his technical expertise and problem-solving abilities. He quickly operationalized our content management process, turning a disorganized manual workflow into an efficient, scalable system that dramatically reduced errors. He brings both technical skills and business acumen to every challenge. Highly recommended."

— Client, Digital Platform

"Well prepared with fantastic presentations, overloaded with information and delivered in a beautifully articulated manner. I find Jon to be very enjoyable to listen to as he understands his subject matter well and can present information in a digestible way for his audience."

— Mae Constance, Workshop Client

"Jon does an excellent job of making people feel welcomed, connected, and at ease. He has a way with people that is unparalleled to anybody I've ever met. He navigates language barriers, varying degrees of extraversion, and different levels of experience, seamlessly."

— Haley Purvis, Workshop Attendee

"So thorough, Jon — thanks for making all of that clear."

— Jordyn, SimplaDocs (on project priorities clarity)

"Genuinely amazing. Jheesh, well done. And thank you very much. Super chuffed with this."

— Client, Propertybook.co.zw