Evan Wallace
Evan Wallace is the co-founder and former CTO of Figma, the collaborative design platform. He studied computer science at Brown University, where he met Dylan Field and built the rendering engine and multiplayer collaboration service that became Figma's foundation. Wallace left Figma in 2021 to pursue open-source projects.
Evan Wallace's Bio
Evan Wallace studied computer science at Brown University, where he was known as an exceptional programmer and earned the nickname 'CJ' (Computer Jesus) for his coding skills.
He co-founded Figma with Dylan Field in October 2012, serving as the company's Chief Technology Officer. Wallace was responsible for Figma's rendering engine, multiplayer collaboration service, vector and text editors, and plugin system.
Under his technical leadership, Figma built the infrastructure that allowed real-time design collaboration in the browser—a feat many considered impossible at the time. The technology became the foundation of Figma's competitive advantage.
Wallace left Figma in 2021 to pursue open-source projects and other technical interests. His contributions to Figma's core technology remain integral to the platform's success.
Career Timeline
2012 — Co-founded Figma with Dylan Field
Co-founded Figma with Dylan Field at Brown University, serving as the technical co-founder and CTO.
2012 — Served as CTO of Figma
Led all technical architecture and engineering as Chief Technology Officer from the company's inception.
2015 — Figma launched beta version
Oversaw the technical launch of Figma's private beta, building the real-time collaboration engine.
2016 — Figma launched to the public
Led the public launch of Figma after four years of development in browser-based design technology.
2021 — Left Figma to pursue open-source projects
Stepped away from Figma to focus on open-source software and independent technical projects.
2025 — Figma went public on NYSE
Witnessed Figma reach a nearly $20 billion valuation with its NYSE IPO, years after his departure.
