Brian Clifton
Engineering Manager at brave
Chandler, Arizona, United States
Summary
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RockstarBrian Clifton is an engineering manager with 12 years of experience leading teams in browser engineering and build/release systems, currently serving as VP of Engineering at Brave. He combines deep hands‑on skills in C++ and JavaScript with operational expertise in build automation, testing, and release pipelines demonstrated across Brave, GoDaddy, and Intel. His open-source contributions to the Brave browser span core engine work, extension/content verification, front-end UX improvements, and Windows-specific bug fixes—showing a rare full‑stack fluency in both Chromium-derived internals and user-facing features. Based in Chandler, Arizona, he pairs leadership with practical coding, frequently stepping into back-end and CI work to unblock teams. Outside of engineering he’s known for a taste for Mexican food, a small signal of a personable leader who blends technical rigor with real-world curiosity.
11 years of coding experience
Stackoverflow
691reputation
41kreached
15answers
2questions
Github Skills (36)
webbrowser10
javascript10
c-language10
electron10
wp-api10
browser-extension10
testing10
css10
user-interface10
build-system10
browser10
winapi10
automation10
html10
automations10
Programming languages (17)
Github contributions (5)
brave/browser-laptop
Apr 2016 - Apr 2019
[DEPRECATED] Please see https://github.com/brave/brave-browser for the current version of Brave
Role in this project:
Front-end Developer
Front-end DeveloperContributions:433 releases, 3189 commits, 1574 PRs in 3 years
Contributions summary:Brian primarily contributed to the front-end development of the browser, implementing features related to the bookmarks toolbar and the about:history page. Their work included adding and modifying UI components, integrating them with the browser's settings, and handling user interactions like mouse clicks, key presses, and drag-and-drop events. They worked with JavaScript, React, and styling components using Aphrodite and LESS to enhance the user experience.
browserwindowsjavascriptbrave-browserlinux
brave/brave-core
Sep 2018 - Jan 2023
Core engine for the Brave browser for mobile and desktop. For issues https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/issues
Role in this project:Back-end Developer
Back-end DeveloperContributions:1738 reviews, 2234 commits, 2126 PRs in 4 years 4 months
Contributions summary:Brian's commits primarily involve modifications to the Brave browser's core engine, focusing on features related to extension installation verification and content verification behavior. These changes seem to align the Brave browser's behavior with the standard Chrome implementation, addressing specific issues related to extensions. The user has modified source files in various areas of the codebase including browser extensions, and core engine, indicating a back-end focus.
browserwindowsbrave-browserlinuxandroid
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