# Ricardo Rios IT Engineer at Cognition (Devin, Windsurf), focused on identity, SSO/SAML and access management; ex-Tipalti, Firework, AWS Data Center Ops Cognition San Francisco Bay Area ## At Cognition - Role: IT Engineer (Engineering) - Joined: Mar 2026 - How they joined: Directly - Before Cognition: IT Engineer, Tipalti - Overlapped before Cognition with other Cognition people at: Amazon (https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/worked-together) ## Identity - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778 - Domain: cognition.ai ## Notes - Joined Cognition (maker of Devin and Windsurf) as IT Engineer in Mar 2026, based in the San Francisco Bay Area; his role is corporate IT (identity, access, SSO/SAML), not product engineering on Devin or Windsurf. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Reposted Cognition's job posts with the caption "pls work with me" on 2026-07-08 and 2026-07-16, recruiting for his team publicly. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ricardo-rios-a8204778_it-engineer-activity-7483586150654222336-BhUK?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHChogABCsZdMmxsM3unSxV1KbS879jfKig) - Self-described focus at Cognition, word for word: "My expertise centers on Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and Single Sign-On (SSO), enabling seamless access management and authentication." (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - He joined Cognition in Mar 2026, about eight months after Cognition signed its agreement to acquire Windsurf (July 2025). (https://cognition.com/blog/windsurf) - IT Support at Firework (Jun 2022 - Jan 2024): managed all access to software services, onboarding/offboarding and inventory, the identity-and-access work. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Data Center Ops at Amazon Web Services, Santa Clara (Sep 2017 - Dec 2019): installed incoming server racks, troubleshot servers via ticketing, and traveled to support other sites. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Public headline says "IT Engineer @ Cognition". (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Reposted Cognition's launch of Devin Security (2026-10-27), described as "a platform to find, prioritize, fix, and test vulnerabilities", and Devin's Mac VM for iOS/macOS builds (2026-09-15). This is amplification of company launches, not his own work. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cognition-ai-labs_introducing-devin-security-ugcPost-7520507064108998656-8xT1?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHChogABCsZdMmxsM3unSxV1KbS879jfKig) - IT Specialist at Samsara, San Francisco Bay Area (Dec 2019 - May 2020). (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - AoG Reviewer (@Google) via WalkWater Technologies, Mountain View (Jan - Sep 2017): reviewed incoming Actions on Google Assistant and gave developers feedback while keeping SLAs. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Earlier AWS stint doing Rack Install (Oct 2015 - Sep 2016): installing new server racks and decommissioning old ones, making AWS data center ops his longest technical thread. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - IT Field Services via Insight Global at Stanford Hospital (Dec 2014 - May 2015): deployed and supported over 700 mobile printers and trained new staff. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Tour Manager for FINISH TICKET (2014-2020), advancing shows and handling travel; Finish Ticket is an indie pop-rock band from Alameda, CA. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finish_Ticket) - Started out as a Home Theater Installer at Best Buy (2006-2012). (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - As an IT Engineer at Cognition, I leverage years of experience in IT support and engineering roles to enhance secure and efficient IT operations. My expertise centers on Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and Single Sign-On (SSO), enabling seamless access management and authentication. I am committed to fostering secure, streamlined IT environments by collaborating with teams to implement and maintain robust security protocols and infrastruc; this comes from the profile summary and preserves the person's own positioning. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Hardware Support Technician at Astreya, Mountain View (Feb - Jun 2022), an IT services contractor commonly staffed at large Bay Area tech campuses. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Technical Support Specialist for AVer Information's Pro-AV line (Nov 2020 - Oct 2021). (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Google Play Support via Randstad (Oct 2013 - Jan 2014) and Technical Marketing Lab Technician via PRO Unlimited (2012-2013): contractor roles on big-tech support desks. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Previous roles include IT Engineer at Tipalti; IT Support at Firework; Hardware Support Technician at Astreya; Technical Support Specialist at AVer Information; IT Specialist at Samsara; Tour Manager at FINISH TICKET; Data Center Ops at Amazon Web Services; AoG Reviewer (@Google) at WalkWater Technologies. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Reposted a colleague's post (2026-08-19) about a Cognition security product suite with customers "finding and resolving O(million) of security findings". (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/powerhouseofthecell_customers-are-finding-and-resolving-omillion-activity-7495914787873173504-Bg1k?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHChogABCsZdMmxsM3unSxV1KbS879jfKig) - Profile lists 330 followers and 320 connections; his skills include Okta Administration, Active Directory, Jira/Atlassian, Google Workspace and AV systems. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) - Location is San Francisco Bay Area. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778) ## Experience - IT Engineer at Cognition - San Francisco Bay Area (Mar 2026 - Present) - IT Engineer at Tipalti - Foster City, California, United States (Jan 2024 - Jan 2026) - IT Support at Firework - United States (Jun 2022 - Jan 2024): Manage all access to software services On-boarding and Off-boarding new employees Inventory Management - Hardware Support Technician at Astreya - Mountain View, California, United States (Feb 2022 - Jun 2022) - Technical Support Specialist at AVer Information (Nov 2020 - Oct 2021): Technical Support for AVer's Pro-AV line - IT Specialist at Samsara - San Francisco Bay Area (Dec 2019 - May 2020): IT specialist - Tour Manager at FINISH TICKET - San Francisco Bay Area (Jan 2014 - Jan 2020): Responsible for advancing all upcoming shows, ensuring that all travel arrangements have been planned. - Data Center Ops at Amazon Web Services - Santa Clara, CA (Sep 2017 - Dec 2019): Installation of incoming server racks Troubleshooting servers via ticketing system Traveling to support additional sites - AoG Reviewer (@Google) at WalkWater Technologies - Mountain View (Jan 2017 - Sep 2017): Reviewing incoming Actions on Google Assistant Provide feedback to developers on their Actions Maintain ticketing system to ensure we are meeting SLA - Rack Install at Amazon Web Services - San Francisco Bay Area (Oct 2015 - Sep 2016): Installation of new server racks Decommissioning of old server racks - IT Field Services at Insight Global - Stanford Hospital (Dec 2014 - May 2015): ● Assigned to project to deploy over 700 mobile printers and support them ● Responsible for any incoming incident tickets ● Performing rounds through entire hospital, maintaining mobile computers and workstations ● Training new employees on procedure and etiquette - Google Play Support at Randstad - Mountain View, California (Oct 2013 - Jan 2014): ● Over the phone support with Google Play products ● Email support for Google Play Products ● Handled troubled cases ● Trained new employees on the proper skillset - Technical Marketing Lab Technician at PRO Unlimited - Alviso, CA (Apr 2012 - Jul 2013): ● Support for marketing team & VIPs ● Help configure and support trade shows ● QE for future products ● Installation of TiVo units for VIPs in Bay Area ● End to end support for all VIPs, Celebrities, and CEO - Home Theater Installer at Best Buy - Mountain View, CA (May 2006 - Apr 2012): • Installation of home theater systems into client’s homes • troubleshooting TVs, receivers, and universal remotes • Ensuring great client experience • Performing consultations for clients • Installation of wireless and wired networks • Providing end to end solutions for clients ## Education ## Sources - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rios-a8204778 - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cognition-ai-labs/posts - https://cognition.com/blog/windsurf - https://github.com/riosricardo - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ricardo-rios-a8204778_it-engineer-activity-7483586150654222336-BhUK?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHChogABCsZdMmxsM3unSxV1KbS879jfKig - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cognition-ai-labs_introducing-devin-security-ugcPost-7520507064108998656-8xT1?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHChogABCsZdMmxsM3unSxV1KbS879jfKig - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finish_Ticket - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/powerhouseofthecell_customers-are-finding-and-resolving-omillion-activity-7495914787873173504-Bg1k?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHChogABCsZdMmxsM3unSxV1KbS879jfKig Researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-04. Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people/ricardo-rios · Everyone at Cognition: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people