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Daren Tan

Segment review, 2019 to 2026

Developer Kaki

From a Facebook group to Malaysia’s largest developer community and its own jobs portal.

Cover art: 82,000 points, one for every member

Members
82,000+1
Roles surfaced through curated job postings
5,000+2
Registered users on JOBS by Developer Kaki
5,0003
MYR verified through the jobs portal
50.5k4

Review

Developer Kaki is Malaysia’s largest developer community, and the bridge between local tech talent and the companies hiring it across Southeast Asia.

Daren Tan founded the community as a Facebook group in February 2019. It is still anchored there, and has spread to LinkedIn, WhatsApp, XiaoHongShu and in-person events. Across them it counts more than 82,000 members.1

Its value is the signal it carries. Curated job postings have surfaced more than 5,000 roles,2 and alongside them members share what they earn, what employers are like to work for and how their careers have moved. Daren describes it as “the most candid tech career signal in Malaysia”.5

The jobs have since outgrown the group. JOBS by Developer Kaki, a web portal operated under an employment-agency licence, has 5,000 registered users,3 and MYR 50.5k in payments was verified through its Payex-Xendit gateway between 2023 and 2026.4

What the community does

Signal

82,0001

The cover of this report draws one point for every member.

On the home page, 82,000 points fill the ultramarine plate behind Daren’s name. The first thing a visitor sees is the community, counted.

See the cover

Milestones

DateMilestone
Sep 2017Daren co-founds Hackathon Kaki, the sister community to Developer Kaki.7
Feb 2019Daren founds Developer Kaki as a Facebook group.1
2023–2025Jobs move from the Facebook group to a web portal, JOBS by Developer Kaki, with payments through the Payex-Xendit gateway.4
2026JOBS by Developer Kaki reaches 5,000 registered users and MYR 50.5k in verified payments.3
Sep 2026Build with IBM Bob + Mini Hackathon, with IBM and Tec D Malaysia at Plaza IBM: 100 seats.6

Notes

  1. 1

    Developer Kaki membership, 82,000+, anchored on its Facebook group and extending to LinkedIn, WhatsApp, XiaoHongShu and in-person events. Founded February 2019. Source: Developer Kaki, October 2026.

  2. 2

    More than 5,000 roles surfaced through curated job postings shared with the community. Source: Developer Kaki, October 2026.

  3. 3

    JOBS by Developer Kaki, the community’s web jobs portal, operated under an employment-agency licence: 5,000 registered users. Payments verified through the portal are set out in note 4. Source: JOBS by Developer Kaki, October 2026.

  4. 4

    MYR 50.5k in transactions on JOBS by Developer Kaki, verified through the Payex-Xendit payment gateway, 2023 to 2026. Source: JOBS by Developer Kaki.

  5. 5

    “The most candid tech career signal in Malaysia”: Daren Tan’s own description of Developer Kaki. Source: Daren Tan, LinkedIn.

  6. 6

    “Build with IBM Bob + Mini Hackathon”, held with IBM and Tec D Malaysia at Plaza IBM on 28 September 2026, with 100 seats.

  7. 7

    Hackathon Kaki, co-founded by Daren Tan in September 2017: 10,200+ members. Source: Hackathon Kaki, October 2026.