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Dexter Horthy

Dexter Horthy

Founder at HumanLayer, building AI coding agents

San Francisco, California
ycombinator+2
Joined October 2024
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Summary

Dexter Horthy is a pioneering founder in the AI agent space, currently leading HumanLayer (YC F24) to develop human-in-the-loop infrastructure for AI coding agents. His work focuses on enabling AI to tackle complex problems in large codebases, emphasizing principles of reliability and scalability in LLM applications. ycombinator+3
He is a recognized expert in '12-factor Agents' and 'Advanced Context Engineering,' sharing his insights through presentations at MLOps Community and Y Combinator, and via his project 'ai that works.' These initiatives aim to define and disseminate best practices for building robust and performant AI-powered software. mlops+3
Horthy possesses a strong background in engineering and product leadership, having spent over seven years at Replicated in various roles spanning core engineering to VP of Solutions Engineering and Customer Success, where he helped B2B companies deliver Kubernetes applications. uchicago+1
His technical journey began early, including a summer internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at 17, where he coded tools for lunar navigation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from The University of Chicago. ycombinator+1

Work

Education

Projects

Writing

12-factor Agents - Patterns of reliable LLM applications

August 1, 2025

A presentation and accompanying work detailing a framework for building production-grade LLM applications, drawing from experiences and insights of various AI builders.

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Advanced Context Engineering for Coding Agents

Exploration and sharing of techniques for effective context engineering to scale AI coding agents in real-world software projects, presented at Y Combinator and other venues.

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Hobbies

Enjoys overcomplicated dinner prep. devopsdays+1

Enjoys running, specifically along the Chicago lakefront. devopsdays+1