Key Takeaways
- Nandita Giri, a 32-year-old software engineer at Microsoft, shares her journey in the tech industry, highlighting the importance of problem-solving and math skills.
- She emphasizes the need to understand the leadership principles of a company, such as Amazon’s, and how they play a crucial role in hiring decisions.
- Giri recommends dedicating time to learning AI, starting with small projects and gradually building skills, and suggests resources such as 3Blue1Brown, Fast.ai, and Andrew Ng’s Machine Learning course.
- She advises focusing on making an impact, taking ownership, and prioritizing learning and growth over titles, and notes that long-term growth comes from solving meaningful problems and maintaining resilience.
- Giri sees AI as a coworker, not a threat, and believes that managing AI is the future of software engineering.
Introduction to Nandita Giri’s Journey
Nandita Giri, a 32-year-old software engineer at Microsoft, shares her journey in the tech industry, which began with a passion for problem-solving and math. As she notes, "I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving… When applying for roles at Amazon, it’s not about solving problems as quickly as possible, but solving them optimally." Giri studied at the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, in India, a school often scouted by top tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. After passing a logical analysis test and multiple interviews based on problem-solving, she was hired by Amazon straight out of college and moved to Seattle in 2018.
Giri’s Experience at Amazon
Giri’s experience at Amazon played a significant role in shaping her interest in AI. She recalls, "I identified tasks and patterns that could be automated and suggested AI-based solutions to management, primarily focusing on internal workflow automation and data-driven decision support systems." Her leadership gave her the green light to implement these solutions, and she successfully integrated AI into her team’s workflow. As she notes, "That experience shaped my interest in building intelligent tools for enterprise use." Giri’s time at Amazon also taught her the importance of understanding the company’s leadership principles, which she believes are just as important as coding skills.
Transition to Meta and Microsoft
After working at Amazon for about four years, Giri was contacted by a recruiter from Meta on LinkedIn. She decided to make the move to focus on building intelligent systems with large-scale data and infrastructure. As she explains, "I wanted to work more deeply in applied AI, and Meta offered an opportunity to focus on building intelligent systems with large-scale data and infrastructure. It was a natural next step to grow in the AI space." Giri went through the interview process and began working at Meta in 2022. Later, she was referred internally to Microsoft based on her work at Meta and decided to move to work on enterprise-focused AI products, such as Copilot, which aligns more closely with her long-term interests.
Giri’s Perspective on AI and the Future of Software Engineering
Giri sees AI as a coworker, not a threat, and believes that managing AI is the future of software engineering. As she notes, "AI excels at repetitive or static tasks, and our job is to monitor and guide it." She recommends dedicating time to learning AI, starting with small projects and gradually building skills. Giri suggests resources such as 3Blue1Brown, Fast.ai, and Andrew Ng’s Machine Learning course, and advises focusing on making an impact, taking ownership, and prioritizing learning and growth over titles.
Advice for Aspiring Software Engineers
Giri advises aspiring software engineers to focus on solving meaningful problems and maintaining resilience. As she notes, "Long-term growth comes from solving meaningful problems and maintaining resilience." She also emphasizes the importance of learning AI, stating, "Demand for AI roles is skyrocketing, while traditional software engineering roles have shrunk over the last five years. Many of my friends who don’t work in AI have struggled to land new offers." Giri recommends dedicating just one hour a day to learning AI, and notes that within six months, one can see real progress, and these skills will be critical for the next decade.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Nandita Giri’s journey in the tech industry is a testament to the importance of problem-solving, math skills, and a passion for learning. Her experiences at Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft have shaped her perspective on AI and the future of software engineering. As she notes, "AI might seem intimidating at first, but once you get confident, the opportunities are endless." Giri’s advice to aspiring software engineers is to focus on making an impact, taking ownership, and prioritizing learning and growth over titles, and to dedicate time to learning AI. By following her advice, aspiring software engineers can set themselves up for success in the rapidly evolving tech industry.
https://www.businessinsider.com/senior-software-engineer-microsoft-ai-not-threat-2026-1