GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the
industry experts what makes them tick. . . .
Gautam Kumar,
COO and Co-Founder, FarEye
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
After completing graduation, we made
a product called Suraksha. Suraksha was
meant to make the usage of gas cylinders
more secure. In case of a leakage, it would
automatically trigger alerts, intimating people
around about the situation. This product got
significant recognition from the government
and investors. I consider this as a memorable
achievement as the solution had a direct
impact on saving the lives of people.
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
Since childhood, I had a natural inclination
towards experimenting with technologies.
It started with batteries and switches back
then and evolved into a love for wider
technologies in college. This interest also
led me to be named as the social innovator
of the year by Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in 2011. After graduation,
a career in technology was a natural
progression for me. It always fascinated me
how the most complex everyday problems
could be resolved using technology.
What style of management
philosophy do you employ with
your current position?
I believe in flat hierarchy. And it’s very
important to treat everyone, all my
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colleagues, equally. By doing so, one can
easily motivate people to speak their heart
out and come up with new and innovative
ideas. Traditional employee–employer
relationships have inherent limitations
with regards to encouraging out-of-the-
box thinking.
Also, from a business perspective, a
flat hierarchy removes excess layers of
management and improves the co-
ordination and speed of communication
between employees. Fewer levels of
management encourage an easier
decision-making process among employees.
And more importantly, it saves a lot of
productive time.
What do you think is the current hot
technology talking point?
I am extremely excited about Machine
Learning (ML) and predictive intelligence.
By analysing historical data ML enabled
“
IT ALWAYS
FASCINATED
ME HOW THE
MOST COMPLEX
EVERYDAY
PROBLEMS
COULD BE
RESOLVED USING
TECHNOLOGY.
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