co-presented by
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
co-presented by
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
At 20, Lauryn Williams was earning six figures annually through sponsorship deals, including with Nike. But, she said a 20 percent cut taken by agents, along with taxes and short career spans, meant the income did not stretch as far as commonly believed.
FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam, IIT Bombay alumnus, was hired as an associate analyst in Memphis 30 years ago. FedEx is the only company he has ever worked for.
After losing her job, the 32-year-old had a difficult choice: find another role or try to build something of her own. She chose the latter. 'The choice, for me, was simple. I had to at least try to make a name for myself, doing what I loved most, which was helping dogs,' Isabel Klee said.
The journey hasn’t been easy, Abi Caswell said. She often worked 18‑hour days in the early months, but she describes the shift as rewarding and energising.
After Yasuko Tamaki's story went viral, reactions on social media have been split between admiration for her stamina and concern about what the Guinness World Record she earned represents.
'I would set aside the day to help meet with an MBA student who has questions about my career and how I got here. Or a trainer who’s working somewhere who wants to open up their own place,' Joey Gonzalez said.
'I hated that my boss wouldn't let me leave before 5, even if I'd finished all my work,' New York-based entrepreneur Luisa Zhou said. Now, the 36-year-old works only four hours a day.
Kruthika Jayatheertha, a former senior user experience researcher at Microsoft in Bengaluru, also acknowledged that the decision was possible largely due to her family’s financial situation.
'I needed to secure a job within 60-90 days after graduation, or I would be forced to return to India,' Rishab Jolly said. 'I ran out of money, asked a friend if I could crash on their couch, and felt a constant sense of anxiety.'
The bioprocess engineer at a biotech firm contrasted the experience sharply with her former employer in the US, where she said she prioritised work over her physical and mental health for nearly two years and ended up being laid off without any support.
Manish Kumar's father was a daily wage earner with the forest guards in the area, and he would often accompany him for 'adventures' in the jungle. It led to him developing a deep respect and love for the wildlife.
'I would run home from school, drop my backpack, and open the reviews before starting my homework,' Ruchir Baronia said, adding that early understanding of scale stayed with him through college in Berkeley, and then joined Meta’s engineering ranks.
'Amazon's codebase is huge, which makes the first year challenging, but the learning curve is worth it. Microsoft feels different altogether,' Nandita Giri, 32, said.
'In the beginning, the work was super fun, but over time, slowly, it started to get a little bit more monotonous,' Daniel Min said. he shared that when his boss pulled him aside to check on him, Min burst out crying.
This, however, isn't the first time that the Bengaluru-based billionaire and industry leader has spoken up against job reservation. Last July, as the Karnataka cabinet approved a draft bill mandating 50 percent reservation for locals in management jobs, 70 percent in non-management categories, Mazumdar-Shaw called for an exemption of highly-skilled labour from the policy.
The viral post triggered a discussion on worsening workplace dynamics, where employees seeking legitimate medical leave face suspicion, humiliation, or pressure to justify their illness with documentation.
The Indian-origin entrepreneur based in the US also urged budding entrepreneurs to identify what they naturally excel at — something the world might need and that can be scaled into a product. Once they align with that instinctive strength, he said, the work eventually becomes effortless.
Selin Kocalar, 21, also encouraged young founders to adopt a long-term mindset, urging them to imagine themselves decades into the future and act in ways consistent with that vision.
Malcolm Gladwell advises prospective students to pick universities where they have a realistic shot at excelling academically. For him, class rank—not institutional prestige—is what determines persistence.
At Apple, Kalyani Ramadurgam held a highly sensitive role, where she worked on preventing the misuse of Apple Pay by terrorist networks.
A telltale sign that the candidate is actually interested in the job at hand, beyond the brand is whether they ask any questions, Chanel HR chief Kate Isnard said. 'There is almost an emotional attachment to this brand. That’s why you need to go deeper.'
Despite her multi‑million‑dollar salary, Rangan works to keep her two teenage sons connected to their roots. She takes them to India every few years to show where she and her husband, who is a managing director at Goldman Sachs, grew up.
According to David Solomon, life experience and adaptability matter far more than pure academic excellence. 'You can’t teach experience,' the Goldman Sachs CEO said. 'Experience matters in these big organisations.'
David Baszucki, 62, says the jobs he took up two to three years after graduating from college were 'the absolute worst jobs in the world'.
'It is scary. I don't know what the future holds, but what I know is that I can always get a job in another five years, but what I can't get back is this moment, the energy, the youth, and the fire in me to explore the world,' former Oracle developer and content creator Vanathi S said.
