Engineering, Verification, and the Future of AI
I'm Leonid Bugaev, founder of Proof and Head of Engineering at Tyk.io. My main focus right now is verification: AI writes code faster than anyone can review it, and Proof applies formal methods to prove that code actually matches the intent behind it — continuous correctness audits where every finding is backed by a runnable reproducer. At Probe Labs I also build Probe, a semantic code search engine for AI agents, and Visor, an AI workflow engine for code review — alongside long-time projects like GoReplay and jsonparser, the fastest JSON parser in Go. I'm dedicated to preparing myself and others for the technological wave ahead while finding balance between family life, open source, and wanderlust. Follow my journey on X.
Projects
Proof - The Verification Layer for AI-Assisted Development
Building Proof, a formal verification platform for the AI era. Write requirements, prove they hold with formal methods, trace every change from intent to code, and ship with mathematical confidence.
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Visor - AI Workflow Engine for Code Review and Automation
Building Visor, an open-source AI workflow engine that orchestrates code review, assistants, and automation through YAML-driven pipelines — running the same config as a GitHub Action, CLI, Slack bot, or HTTP API.
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Probe - Semantic Code Search Built for AI
Created Probe, an open-source code context engine that combines ripgrep speed with tree-sitter AST parsing, giving AI coding assistants precise, structured understanding of multi-million line codebases with zero setup.
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Tyk API Management - Connecting all the systems in the world
Leading the engineering team at Tyk for 8 years, overseeing all technical aspects of the API Management platform, managing global teams, and driving technical excellence across the organization.
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GoReplay - HTTP Traffic Replay Tool
Created and maintained GoReplay, an open-source tool for capturing and replaying live HTTP traffic for testing and debugging. The project has garnered widespread adoption in the developer community since 2013.
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jsonparser - High Performance JSON Parser for Go
Created and maintained jsonparser, an open-source library that provides the fastest JSON parsing capabilities in Go. The project has become a widely adopted solution in the Go ecosystem since its creation.
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Writing
Latest from The Verification Gap
Celebrating ten years of jsonparser by taking back the “fastest” title
· The Verification Gap
From 'fastest' to 'one of the fastest' and back, with a formal proof along the way.
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The second 100%
· The Verification Gap
Coverage is the number we invented so we could stop thinking.
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Bugs Are Misunderstandings Made Executable
· The Verification Gap
Why software fails, how the industry fights back, and whether bug-free code is even possible.
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Personal essays
Pick Your Own Bubble
They say living in a bubble means ignoring reality, but for me, it’s exactly where I find genuine happiness and freedom. From homeschooling while traveling to working remotely and sharing a home with three generations, I’ve learned life is too short not to create the path that suits me best.
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It's Not Too Late for Slow Parenting
A nomad dad's perspective on giving children time to grow at their own pace. Looking at the counterintuitive benefits of slowing down as a family rather than rushing to meet early development milestones.
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Travelogue of a Nomad Dad
There is a belief that being a nomad is for young people, without kids, and once you are grown up, you have to settle down. Me, my wife and two little sons are the new nomads - we have no permanent house and travel every 3-4 months.
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Why having kids is the best what can happen with your career
When you become a parent your life is entirely changed --- that's no doubt. But even now, I'm can only thank my two little boys for these changes. Fatherhood improved me both as a person and a professional.
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