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She’s Building the Future of AI Conversations
Manage episode 482940338 series 2833920
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In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Sunita Verma, CTO at Character AI and former engineering leader at Google. Sunita shares how she’s transitioned from leading large-scale AI initiatives at Google to building novel experiences in a fast-paced startup environment. She dives into the mindset shift required to prioritize velocity over scale, how to lead AI-native product innovation, and what it means to be a female technical leader in today’s tech ecosystem.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
Shift in Leadership Mindset: At startups, leaders must prioritize velocity and innovation over scale, focusing on getting frictionless, AI-native products to market quickly.
AI Product Loop: Success comes from tightly coupling AI research with product development—shortening the feedback loop to create truly novel user experiences.
Female Technical Leadership: Sunita emphasizes the need for more women in senior engineering roles and shares how calculated risk-taking and mentorship shaped her journey.
Startup Clarity vs. Corporate Comfort: While startups offer focus and purpose, they also require deep ownership and rapid decision-making without the cushion of big-company resources.
💬 Quote:
“Focus brings clarity of purpose... but with that comes the pressure of knowing every decision deeply impacts the company.” — Sunita Verma
⏱️ Timestamped Highlights:
00:00 – Intro: Meet Sunita Verma, CTO at Character AI and former Google engineering leader.
01:52 – Google to Startup: Comparing work at Google with her current role at Character AI.
03:39 – Leadership Shift: Sunita’s take on building AI-native products from scratch.
06:21 – From Scale to Speed: Pivoting from optimization at scale to innovating with velocity.
08:12 – Product & Tech Integration: Creating tight feedback loops between AI research and products
10:01 – Closer to Engineering: Why Sunita enjoys being hands-on and deeply involved in compute management.
12:12 – Focus as a Double-Edged Sword: The simplicity and pressure of startup leadership.
14:00 – Female Engineering Leadership: The need for more women in senior tech roles.
16:02 – Career Advice: Why calculated risk and building a support network are key to long-term success.
19:14 – Leaving Google: Her thought process in taking the leap from a big brand to an emerging category leader.
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