Software People Stories

26:13

From Punch Cards to AI Companions

Software People Stories ·

2026/10/04

My guest today is Paramu Kurumathur: IT Leader, Author. Here is the snippets of interesting stories around how AI has changed his life and how he’s impacting AI - From building AI in 1980 to using AI to code, write, research and imagine the futureWhat makes Paramu's story unusual is that his AI journey actually began in 1980, when his M.Tech project explored automatic program generation using structured data and if-then rules. Four decades later, he finds himself using generative AI in almost every

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53:20

From Soldering to Software with Yeshwant Satam

Software People Stories ·

2026/09/25

My guest today is Yeshwant Satam, an ICT professional and consultant with over four decades of experience.In this conversation, he freely shares:His four-decade journey from soldering boards and PROM patching to firmware, software, IT services leadership, and manufacturing automation.Continual learning multiple programming languages including Pascal, Fortran, C, and Occam, then rapidly building capability through curiosity and commitment.Memorable moments including reverse engineering an IBM PC BIOS

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53:43

Learn, Adapt, Work Hard with Arun Subash Manickam

Software People Stories ·

2026/09/18

My guest today is Arun Subash Manickam. An Engineering leader at Google.In this conversation, Arun shares:his journey from Chennai schooling to computer science and a long career in networking, startups, acquisitions, and Google.transitions from individual contributor to manager, startup life, acquisitions, autonomy, AI, and career growth.learning continuously, adapting to change, and working hard with purpose as core career principles.HighlightsA teacher’s suggestion changed Arun’s path from

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60:20

From Stethoscope to Software with Dr. Kishore Reddy

Software People Stories ·

2026/09/11

My guest today is Dr. Kishore Reddy, co-founder of & Chief Strategy Officer at ProHance.Conversation highlights:Background & Early Life:Kishore grew up across India—moving from Gujarat to Delhi and eventually settling in Bangalore, which he considers his home.Medical Career & Transition to IT:Completed his MBBS from Bangalore Medical College with plans to pursue neurology residency in the US, inspired by family members.After facing US visa denials (under section 214B), his brother Kiran suggested

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44:43

Don't Worry About AI. Keep Learning with Vasu Vadlamani

Software People Stories ·

2026/09/04

In this episode of Software People Stories, Gayathri Kalyanaraman speaks with Vasu Vadlamani, a technology leader, architect, entrepreneur and Professor of Practice, about a career that has evolved alongside the software industry itself. About his accidental start to an AI Era tech leader who’s defining mantra has been Every role has an expiration date! Vasu takes us back to the early 1990s, when software meant client-server systems, handwritten notes and face-to-face communication. From his early

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50:08

Data Science and Human Foundations with Ashish Jha

Software People Stories ·

2026/08/29

In conversation with Ashish Jha, Chitra and Ashish explored -His childhood fascination with science and literature to working with Tata Steel as an industrial engineerForay into data science and analytics with GECIS and Genpact getting deep into math and statsConverting customer problems into math equationsBenefitting from great mentorship, anchoring customer conversations very early on in his careerLeadership lessons in inspiring confidence in difficult momentsEntrepreneurship path and founding

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41:14

Accidental Start to an AI-Era Technology Leader with...

Software People Stories ·

2026/08/21

My guest today is Vijays Kadiala, ,Executive Director for Architecture, Engineering, AI, Data, Cloud in DBS Tech India talks about his accidental start to an AI Era tech leader who’s defining mantra has been Every role has an expiration date! Conversation highlights00:32 — 25 years of a career that wasn't plannedVijay introduces his journey across startups, TCS, Infosys, Capgemini, JPMorgan Chase and DBS, with data and data-intensive applications as a recurring theme.02:35 — From a two-bedroom

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62:20

Systems thinking, Social bonding & new contracts with...

Software People Stories ·

2026/08/14

Episode subtitle: Intro:Jithu Gopal is a fintech product leader based in Bangalore, with 18+ years across engineering, consulting, and product. He is AVP Product at Scripbox and currently owns the charter of building the advisory experience that'll help a million families make confident choices about their portfolios.Before Scripbox he co-founded Nilenso, a boutique technology consulting firm, where he built a social network, rewrote the checkout experience for a ticketing platform, and took on a

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68:32

Business Before Technology with Mario

Software People Stories ·

2026/08/07

In this episode of Software People Stories, I speak with Mario Lewis, a manufacturing specialist turned IT expert with over 35 years of experience. He talks about his career that began far away from software—in mechanical engineering, manufacturing, operations, and quality—and eventually found its way into the software services world. We talk about what manufacturing can teach software teams, why domain knowledge and business understanding matter, how to stay adaptable through career transitions,

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44:34

Making Products Matter with Saraswathi Shant Kumar

Software People Stories ·

2026/08/01

In this episode of Software People Stories, I speak with Saraswathi, a marketing leader with over 15 years of cross-industry experience, about the role of marketing in technology—especially how product marketers translate technical ideas into stories customers can understand and care about. We talk about digital communication, customer empathy, product adoption, AI in marketing, useful metrics, and practical career advice for anyone curious about moving into marketing. It is a thoughtful

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45:57

Accounting, ERP and Change management with Chander...

Software People Stories ·

2026/07/23

My guest today is Chander Sankaran, an ERP and change management Specialist. With a professional background in finance and accounting, he has played many cross-functional roles that bridge the gap between finance and information technology. In this conversation, Chander talks aboutBeginning his career in finance and accounting, then entering software through early ERP implementation work in a manufacturing plant in India.His move to the U.S. in the late 1990sHow his accounting and operational

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36:39

An Idea Today, an Outcome Tomorrow with Mathangi Sri...

Software People Stories ·

2026/07/17

My guest today is Mathangi Sri Ramachandran, Co-Founder of YuVerse. The conversation included Mathangi ’s early fascination with data-driven decision-making → AI as a force for democratisation → empathy at scale → career choices driven by impact → sustaining a long career as a woman → the ecosystem behind innovation and patents.00:00 – Introduction: A life and career deeply rooted in AIMathangi introduces herself as someone whose “heart and soul” are in AI. She talks about her role as CEO and

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49:13

Enabling Better Decisions Through Data with Sree...

Software People Stories ·

2026/07/13

My guest today is Sree Krishna Kumaraswamy, known more popularly as Krishna, a data and analytics leader with over 20 years of experience spanning consulting and large enterprise technology companiesIn this conversation, Krishna traces his journey from growing up in Chennai with an expected engineering path to discovering mathematics and statistics through the Indian Statistical InstituteTalks about his early work in applied statistics and computer vision,applying concepts of machine learning

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50:32

AI, Integration, and Innovation with Elangovan Shanmugam

Software People Stories ·

2026/07/03

My guest today is Elangovan Shanmugam, a seasoned software professional with over 30 years of experience. Among the multiple roles Elangovan has played are Distinguished Engineer, Director of Engineering, leading strategic AI transformation initiatives in a large organization.In this conversation Elangovan:Traces his journey from FoxPro and 4MB RAM days to AI engineeringShares how software evolved from standalone systems to connected business ecosystems.A major theme is that the problem often stays

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45:13

Leading Through Every Technology Wave with Indira...

Software People Stories ·

2026/06/28

In this episode of Software People Stories, Gayatri Kalyanaraman speaks with Indra Vidyaprakash, Vice President | Workday Chennai Site Leader, for a conversation spanning three decades of technology evolution. From her early fascination with programming in Coimbatore and her journey through Cornell University, Oracle, and Silicon Valley, to returning to Chennai to establish and scale Workday's India presence, Indira shares lessons learned across every major technology shift—from the internet era and

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46:13

From Navy to SaaS to AI with Ian Hogg

Software People Stories ·

2026/06/19

My guest today is Ian Hogg, the Chairman of SolvedBy.ai, an applied AI company helping SaaS vendors embed enterprise-grade forecasting, demand and decision intelligence directly into their platforms. In this conversation,Ian shares his background, from the Royal Navy and Xerox to building early web businesses, a SaaS platform, and an AI-focused company.He describes how his SaaS business began by solving his own operational problem and then expanded when others in the industry recognized the same

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52:09

From H4 to CEO: Building a Life and Software Company...

Software People Stories ·

2026/06/14

In this episode of Software People Stories, Gayatri Kalyanaraman sits down with Rajshri Kidambi, CEO of Radus Software LLC, for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation. Rajshri shares her journey from arriving in the United States as an H4 dependent to building a successful software company serving federal agencies for over two decades. Together, they discuss entrepreneurship, motherhood, Agile transformation, government technology, resilience, AI, and the power of taking calculated risks. A

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33:39

Reviving Developer Passion with Paramu Kurumathur

Software People Stories ·

2026/05/29

My guest today is a good friend and colleague - and not to forget with whom I was a co-author for a book, Paramu Kurumathur.In this episode, Paramu discusses how his recent development work evolved from small Google Apps Script utilities copied and adapted from online examples to building AI-connected applications via APIs to tools like Gemini and ChatGPT, including enabling Q&A over his book content. He describes surprises from “conversing” with his books—especially that LLMs retain details he has

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52:05

From Gaming to Global Efficiency with Evan J Schwartz

Software People Stories ·

2026/05/22

My guest today is Evan J. Schwartz, the COO of AMCS Group North America, a global leader in sustainable cloud technology. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor and Board Advisor at Jacksonville University, mentoring graduate students in AI, cybersecurity, and technical project management.Evan traces his technology origin from early-1980s bulletin board systems to founding a company that built graphic multiplayer BBS games and a scripted graphics language, that he says predated HTML, reaching 33

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54:10

Navigating Career Curves and Breaks with Chaitra Rao

Software People Stories ·

2026/05/15

My guest today is Chaitra Partha Rao, Vice President at Daimler Truck Innovation Center India – Manufacturing , Sales & Aftersales.Chaitra shares how her childhood aspirations to become a neurosurgeon shifted to commerce due to cost constraints, eventually leading her into IT through an internship at a medical diagnostics firm automating stores processes. She describes observing early requirement-gathering and MVP-style delivery, learning the importance of user empathy, and contrasts it with a later

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