Rodrigo Dias grew up in Brasilia, Brazil, where his fascination with technology started early — thanks to two uncles who introduced him to their home computers. By age 8, he was already exploring MS-DOS, Windows, and the early days of the internet to fuel his interest in anime and manga.
Due to geographical limitations he was unable to get a formal degree in technology, Rodrigo never stopped learning. He taught himself HTML, jQuery, 3D modeling, and later JavaScript — carving his own unconventional path into software development.
After a stint in the architecture visualization industry, Rodrigo pivoted careers following the 2016 market crash in Brazil. He moved to Joinville with his wife and landed a junior developer role at a mobile app agency. During commutes and lunch breaks, he self-taught React Native and eventually proposed a shift to unified app development, cutting down on redundant work. His initiative helped the company scale significantly.
Rodrigo’s journey continued at Turno, a high-traffic startup serving Airbnb hosts, where he helped rewrite the front-end of a platform with over 200,000 daily users. In April 2025, he joined Makai Digital and now contributes to Royal Caribbean’s cruise search experience found at www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises.
Rodrigo knew he wanted to be part of Makai from the moment he spoke with one of our founders, Jorge. He was struck by Jorge’s depth of knowledge and passion for technology, and although the first opportunity didn’t pan out, Rodrigo remained determined to find a path in. Taking Jorge’s advice to continue growing his technical skills, Rodrigo stayed in touch and eventually connected with more of the Makai team. He was drawn to the team's calm, thoughtful, and intelligent approach — qualities he knew would make for strong leadership and a great environment to grow. Since joining, he’s found the culture to be incredibly supportive and is excited to continue his journey with Makai.
When he’s not writing code, Rodrigo enjoys working out at the gym, riding his motorcycle, and spending quality time with his wife and two young children.