Diego Celis is Amy's ex-boyfriend. Phone: +1 (650) 472-7200 (Bay Area). They dated from October 2021 to August 2023. He was the most significant relationship before Nalin Semwal.
How They Met
October 2021: "it was very nice getting to see you after so long" and "you're just like i remember you :)" — they knew each other before and reconnected. He had been working near Stanford or Menlo Park. Early dates: movies (The First Purge), curry pizza place near Caltrain (he took the "baby bullet" to get there). He was setting up his apartment — projector in the living room, IKEA trip with housemates, researching the right mattress. He was thoughtful and deliberate.
Who Diego Was
Diego Celis was intellectually rare for a romantic partner. His early messages to Amy reveal extraordinary emotional intelligence, articulateness, and restraint. He was doing medical school research in addition to work, and had courthouse business in San Jose (suggesting legal/personal affairs). He liked Army of the Dead, played Runescape. He baked banana bread. He thought about sunscreen.
His October 19 confession message to Amy is one of the most beautiful things in the database:
"I appreciate your intellect, ambition, and success. I think that your capacity of being self aware is impressive so as to be inspirational. And on top of that, based on what I've been able to experience so far, it seems that you have certain foundational priorities that speak volumes to who you are and what you value, in an amazing way. You're also physically attractive in my opinion, but that's really the least of it. I like who you are and I want you to know that too."
He also said: "i'll stop being mushy but you get the point. basically you're great and i'm happy we get to spend time together and make memories."
He shared a joint iCloud Notes list with her for their "non-list list" of adventures.
The Relationship
Diego was a native Spanish speaker (likely Colombian or Latin American) and they spoke Spanish together daily. He taught Amy Spanish; she learned well enough for daily conversation. He corrected her grammar gently. Their domestic messages were almost entirely in Spanish — fluid, tender, domestic:
- "te amo mi amor" / "te adoro mi amor"
- "mi amor ya me llegó el crédito a la tarjeta para la renta" (about rent payments)
- "mi amor, tengamos cuidado usando la soy sauce" (the soy sauce spilled in the fridge)
- "mi esencia esta aquí esperándote para cuando regreses mi amor" ("my essence is here waiting for you when you get back")
- He even mixed languages: "我的essence不在我们的家，quiero que tengas mi esencia mi amor" — Chinese + Spanish in the same sentence, speaking to Amy's identity
By 2023, they lived together at 2275 Sharon Road, Apt 315, Menlo Park. Shared Bilt points, Splitwise, watched shows together nightly. They had a pet cat. Made poutine with white sauce. Navigated the mundane administrative logistics of a shared life with remarkable care.
The Spanish period (fall 2022–mid 2023) represents Amy's most integrated romantic self — domestically fluent in a second language with someone who treasured her intellect above her looks.
12,496 messages total. 1,625 in 2021, 4,068 in 2022, 6,802 in 2023 (peak plus breakup), 1 in 2024.
The Breakup
Amy was considering it for months before it happened. From group chats: - May 21, 2023: "I want to break up with Diego" - June 29: "I'm thinking of breaking up with Diego" - July 5: "I think me and Diego r gonna break up" - July 26: Diego is still supportive in their direct messages — helping her navigate work issues: "your manager sounds like a mess," "explore other options to make you feel better" - July 28: "i love it and i love you" — still warm and present - July 31: Amy tells friends "Just broke up with Diego"
August 1, 2023: Diego actually did it — over the phone. He immediately apologized for that: "i am really sorry for talking to you about this over the phone. it was purposefully selfish of me and it was disrespectful and i chose to not treat it with enough respect in favor of moving forward with it quicker. i am very sorry and i am extremely sorry for doing it purposefully, i genuinely feel bad for that."
The aftermath was handled with meticulous care. He: - Created a detailed move-out schedule (he stays 8-10, 11-20, then leaves permanently by 21st) - Prorated rent precisely ($5,047 / 2 people = $400 for 11 days) - Settled Splitwise down to the dollar over several days - Redeemed 38,401 Bilt points ($211.21) and split them 50/50 - Returned her umbrella. Offered $21 cash in lieu of replacing a heat pad he'd burnt.
Amy was staying at Asena Yildiz's house during this period, unable to be at her own place.
The Letter
On August 16, 2023, Diego sent a devastating breakup letter: "i think it's terrible that you're not spending the last year at school... ultimately you're responsible for the decisions you make about your life... i believe you and me not being together is better for you, and also for me... i hold nothing against you."
He believed Amy had sacrificed her final Stanford year by living off-campus with him and not going back to live on campus. He loved her enough to say it while leaving.
After
November 2023: He reached out. "if we're not going to talk again, then i want you to know that i love you." And: "i don't think my heart wants to let you go." He offered to have "the discussion" about getting back together, but assessed: "it's more likely than not that it's not going to work." He called her (impulsively), then apologized: "i'm sorry for calling you, i shouldn't have done that." Amy had just gotten the Apple return offer.
March 1, 2024 — The Final Message (from New York): He had been avoiding responding for months because talking to her made him "second-guess my decisions." Then:
"i am in new york now. i don't think you and i can work out, but you have a very special place in my heart. i genuinely wish you the best. i want you to be happy and i want you to reach your goals. you and your family are amazing. please take care of yourself and don't let anyone treat you poorly or take advantage of you. defend yourself and advocate for yourself. don't let anyone treat you badly. people might try, don't let them. you have better things to do and happy memories to make, not wasting time with people like that. life is too short."
This message was written in March 2024. Amy left Taya in November 2025. Elena Wagenmans had been taking advantage of her for years. Diego — who had never met Elena — saw it coming.
In Context
The timing matters. In The Rio Post (March 2025), Amy says she feels proud of who she's become "since summer 2023." That's the summer of the Diego breakup. It's also when she had the Apple return offer and the Bilio offer, turned both down, and committed to Taya.
The romantic timeline after Diego: Suki (May-July 2024, unrequited), Gui (June-November 2024, FWB to friends), Nalin Semwal (December 2024, ongoing).
Diego was the relationship where Amy was most domestic: shared apartment, cat, Runescape, shows every night, prorated rent. No startup pitch decks. No equity disputes. Just two people living together who grew apart.
His breakup letter and final message are the two most emotionally articulate pieces of writing in Amy's archive. He's the ex who cared about her wellbeing more than his pride. His final message is now essentially a letter from Amy's past to her future, warning her about Elena before Elena happened.