In the latest episode of Tech Leaders Unplugged, we had the honor of hosting Kartik Vishwanath, the Vice President of Engineering at HubSpot. The conversation kicked off with gratitude for Kartik's presence on the show, and the anticipation of an insightful discussion about his background, journey, and the intriguing world of platform infrastructure organization.
Journey Through Diverse Horizons
Kartik began by sharing his journey, tracing back to his early days in clinical informatics, where he worked with medical data modeling and developed innovative patient care applications. His passion for distributed computing emerged during a time when cloud providers were not as prevalent. This interest led him to Cerner, a significant player in electronic health records, and eventually to Amazon, where he navigated the challenges of managing the largest product catalog in the world.
Scaling New Heights at AWS
As Kartik delved into his tenure at AWS, he emphasized the importance of operational excellence in building innovative services. His role in AWS Lambda during the serverless revolution showcased the delicate balance between innovation and stability. The experiences at Amazon marked a significant shift in his focus, introducing him to problems of increasing complexity and scale.
Building Developer Experiences at Square/Block
Transitioning to Square/Block, Kartik faced a unique opportunity to build a developer platform. This experience not only expanded his expertise in developer experiences but also introduced him to leading security teams. The role at Block played a pivotal role in shaping his understanding of creating internal platforms and managing security in a dynamic environment.
Navigating Complexity
In his current role as VP of Engineering at HubSpot, Kartik highlighted the culmination of his diverse experiences. Leading a significant organization covering data infrastructure, developer experience, SRE, and more, he stressed the importance of understanding trade-offs in infrastructure teams. He also shed light on HubSpot's culture, emphasizing the company's focus on treating culture as a product for employees.
Looking Ahead
As the conversation shifted to the future, Kartik provided a glimpse into what users can expect from HubSpot in 2024. With an emphasis on continuous innovation, the company is set to introduce exciting features and enhancements. Kartik expressed his excitement for the upcoming year, highlighting HubSpot's strong engineering team and the passion for delivering a seamless and crafted experience for customers.
From Kartik's journey through diverse roles to the future of HubSpot to the role of testing and engineering companies like Logigear, the episode provided a comprehensive insight into the mind of a true tech leader. As the show gears up for a new season, viewers can anticipate fresh themes, formats, and exciting changes. Stay tuned to techleadersunplugged.com for the latest updates and engaging content in the world of technology.
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