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Chris Tong

Forward Deployed AI Engineer (FDE) at Google DeepMind

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About

I'm Chris Tong, currently a Forward Deployed AI Engineer at Google DeepMind. My career has been a journey of building at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds—starting with mechanical engineering at Tesla and Formlabs, and moving into the 0-1 space of Applied AI at Goldman Sachs and YC-backed startups. I’m passionate about moving beyond AI demos to create real-world enterprise ROI, and I’ve even founded a platform, Mechie.io, to help other engineers break into top-tier tech roles. Whether it's discussing the limitations of LLMs in spatial planning or how to scale an API to five-figure revenue, I love building businesses and solving complex technical puzzles. I'm always looking to connect with founders and engineers who value systems thinking and are pushing the boundaries of what SOTA models can actually do in production.

Networking

What I can offer

  • ›Expertise in bridging AI research and enterprise deployment
  • ›Technical interview coaching for mechanical engineers
  • ›Insights into 0-1 product engineering and hardware-software integration

Looking for

  • ›expanding my professional network
  • ›exploring mutual opportunities in AI and Robotics

Best fit for

Startup foundersAI/Robotics engineersTech investorsMechanical engineering students

Current Interests

Applied AI and Enterprise ROIRobotics Evaluation (Butter-Bench)Mechanical Engineering Career DevelopmentGlobal Fintech Infrastructure

Background

Career

Transitioned from mechanical and hardware engineering (Tesla, Formlabs) into full-stack and applied AI roles (Terra API, Goldman Sachs) before joining Google DeepMind.

Education

BE in Mechatronics with Business Minor from University of Toronto (2018–2023); BE in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University (2017–2018); IB at Upper Canada College.

Achievements

  • ›Co-inventor of a Tesla Robotaxi patent (WO2023163943A1)
  • ›Built and sold a new API for Terra API resulting in +$70k/year revenue
  • ›Founded Mechie.io, coaching engineers into roles at Tesla, Apple, and Google
  • ›Built the first prototype for the 'Fuse Blast' product line at Formlabs

Opinions

  • Data and context matter more than the specific models used for AI ROI
  • Current LLMs lack the 'practical intelligence' for autonomous navigation without better orchestrators
  • Systems thinking and generalists are more valuable than pure specialists
  • Career success comes from showing an upward trajectory of responsibility