November was a month filled with learning and sharing! After the inspiring XR Summit 2024 at IIT Madras, I had the privilege of attending another fantastic event—XConf 2024 by Thoughtworks India. Here are my key takeaways from this incredible gathering of technologists. About XConf XConf is Thoughtworks’ annual technology event, designed by technologists for technologists. Sponsored this year by AWS and CockroachDB, it celebrates innovation and the transformative power of software in the real world.

I recently had the privilege of attending XR Summit 2024 at the eXperiential Technology Innovation Center (XTIC), IIT Madras. My heartfelt thanks to Prof. Mani and his team for the kind invitation and to Thoughtworks for making all the arrangements seamless. The event was nothing short of extraordinary – a world-class summit showcasing groundbreaking advancements, with an exciting lineup of sessions led by industry pioneers and academics. The topics covered were diverse, thought-provoking, and visionary.

📖 My Takeaways from Our Next Reality by Alvin Wang Graylin and Louis Rosenberg ☞ Buy - Exploring the Metaverse ☞ Buy - Our Next Reality Our Next Reality topped my reading list for months, and travel always helps me catch up on books! After meeting Alvin at AWE Asia 2024, I was eager to dive in and finally complete it. Following recent trips to Singapore and now the US, here’s what I found worth sharing from the book.

📢 Virtual World Symposium: Join us as we dive deep into the future of AI-powered virtual worlds: What are they? Where are they headed? And why is it crucial to discuss these transformative spaces to..day? This symposium will also unpack spatial intelligence and its role in defining and enhancing immersive environments. As we step into a new era of digital interaction, this event will provide insights into the challenges and opportunities that virtual worlds bring to society.

Thoughtworks has always amazed me—whether it’s the pioneering work we do in the industry or the contributions we make to software engineering practices. What truly inspires me is our people-centered approach. Recently, I was honored by our market leadership, who put me in the spotlight to share my journey with fellow Thoughtworkers. While I’ve learned a great deal from my colleagues, I took this opportunity to share my own experiences in the hope of inspiring others.

AWE Asia is a flagship event of the Augmented World Expo (AWE), serving as a crucial platform to unite leading XR companies, investors, and international stakeholders to drive the growth of the XR market in Asia. After an exciting Day 1 at AWE Asia 2024, I’m thrilled to share my key takeaways from Day 2, where both I and my fellow Thoughtworker Arijit had the opportunity to present as speakers.

AWE Asia is a flagship event of AWE(Augmented World Expo), often dubbed as “XR’s Most Essential Conference” and “The XR Conference for Everyone”. With three major annual events in the USA, Asia, and Europe, along with numerous other sessions worldwide, AWE Asia is a prime opportunity to bring together leading XR companies, investors, and international stakeholders to accelerate the growth of the XR market in Asia. This year, I had the privilege of attending the event in Singapore in person as a speaker.

In a world where AI is ubiquitous, technologies like AR, VR, and XR often raise eyebrows, despite their vast potential. AI is not only propelling these technologies forward but also preparing them for the next stages of development. There are tremendous opportunities to leverage their potential for business transformation. I am honored to be invited by Express Computers - India Leading IT Magazine, to speak on this topic and dispel common myths.

Season of AI, a virtual event series of the Microsoft Azure Developer Community by Reskill, stands as a flagship event in empowering aspiring professionals. Recently, I had the privilege of delivering a session, where I had the opportunity to guide the community and share insights from my experience in XR and AI development. It was an honor to accept this invitation, and special thanks to Rohit Sardana and Azkar Khan for extending the invitation.

On July 5, 2004, I embarked on my professional journey. These past 20 years have been nothing short of adventurous and fulfilling. “Learning is a natural process, and it matures by sharing” I’ve had a wealth of learnings throughout these two decades, as I worked on over 50 projects spanning various domains and technologies. I’ve had the privilege of directly working with over a thousand individuals from diverse backgrounds across different organizations.

AI is pervasive, whether we sense it or not. Staying updated has become essential for survival. We are increasingly immersed in artificially generated worlds, with the internet rapidly evolving into what is known as the metaverse. In my book, “Exploring the Metaverse”, I delve into its various forms and interpretations, usecases and challenges, and the way forward. DesignersX, a company specializing in software development, invited me to speak about my book and discuss how AI and the metaverse will shape the future.

XREvolve Summit serves a comprehensive platform for exploring the latest advancements, applications, applied sciences and progresses within AR, VR, and the broader domains of the metaverse such as spatial computing and mixed reality. It is backed by Gatherverse community, that advocates humanity-first standards in accessibility, education, equality, community development, safety & privacy, wellness, and ethics within the metaverse and emerging technologies. This year’s focus is XR : Interface of AI, that open up the extraordinary and near limitless possibilities for humanity.

Metaverse India Policy and Standards (MIPS) is a pioneering initiative led by Experiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC), serving as India’s premier research and product innovation hub for Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and Haptics, hosted at IIT Madras. It’s an honor to be the member of MIPS and showcase my book Exploring the Metaverse: Redefining Reality in the Digital Age, which aligns closely with the initiative’s objectives. I extend my gratitude to Thriveni Palanivelu for orchestrating a seamless event.

The era of isolated development and secret-keeping innovation is fading. In the past, companies, individuals could thrive by becoming subject matter experts within their own walls. However, the rise of generative AI, fueled by shared knowledge, has changed the game. AI can now imagine and generate solutions faster than ever. The future belongs to those who embrace openness, collaboration, and shared learning. Expertise alone isn’t enough. Today, success hinges on building strong networks, fostering partnerships, and collaborating within communities.

📕 Exploring the Metaverse Redefining Reality in the Digital Age “Exploring the Metaverse” is a comprehensive guide to the metaverse, the future state of the internet. Prepare yourself for what’s ahead by understanding the opportunities and challenges of the metaverse. This book calls us to action, emphasizing that its evolution is in our hands. You can find a detailed synopsis of the book here. Available globally on Amazon and BPB Online as both paperback and eBook.

Product management is a unique blend of art and science, distinct from roles such as project management, program management, business analysis, or business development. Some projects or products may have dedicated product managers, but I believe these skills are valuable for various roles, even if not explicitly labeled as a product manager. Even technologists can benefit from these skills to enhance the value of their work. This is where Dinker Charak’s book ‘Product Management Untangled’ becomes essential.

🙋‍ ️As International Women’s Day is celebrated worldwide, efforts are underway to recognize women’s representation across diverse fields. In India, the spirit of ‘Nari Shakti’ is alive as discussions focus on various schemes and initiatives. Increased enforcement is advocating for equal opportunities in underrepresented sectors. The promising shift towards inclusivity is shaping a future grounded in equity and equality. 👩‍💻 Thoughtworks is synonymous with diversity and inclusion, a leading brand in this space.

Thoughtworks unveils its latest tech trends report, ‘Looking Glass’, a comprehensive analysis of emerging technologies designed to empower organizations and leaders in making informed decisions. The 2024 edition of report, covering over 100 trends, is segmented through five lenses, each offering insights, signals, and strategic recommendations for adoption, analysis, and anticipation. Key takeaways: Here are my key takeaways: AI’s ubiquitous reach - AI is going in every facet of technology, from conversational interfaces to AI-assisted software development and software-defined vehicles.

As we say goodbye to 2023 and welcome 2024, it’s a time to think about the good and tough parts of the year. Not everything goes the way we want, but we can learn from both the good and bad experiences. I see 2023 as a year of making things better, like fixing the base of a building. I’ve picked my top five observations on foundational changes from this year, and some might continue into 2024.

I’ve reached a milestone: 100 articles and 50 events at thinkuldeep.com. This experience has improved my writing, boosted my confidence, and fueled my passion for self-expression. I’m thankful to readers, authors, speakers, and mentors who inspired me. I want to share common obstacles I overcame, hoping to inspire others on their creative journeys. 1. I am not a great writer/speaker, I can’t express well Blocker#1 is doubting our abilities, it is natural when we haven’t explored our potential.

The XConf XConf is Thoughtworks annual technology event created by technologists. It is designed for technologists who care deeply about software and its impact on the world. Last year, I presented on the topic of AI Assisted Content Pipeline for XR. This year, we took it a step further by hosting an immersive experience booth. We featured cutting-edge AR/VR devices and engaged in in-depth discussions about various industrial applications. It was truly enriching to interact with participants, share our insights, and absorb their perspectives.

Communication is a puzzle - will others understand us as we hope? What’s the secret to effective communication? In this article, I share my top five lessons from books, personal exploration, and experts in the field. I’m still learning this art, and it’s ever-evolving. I’ve read couple books and followed communication pros, they shed light on how crucial communication is, especially in our modern ways of working. But it’s clear even they’re always learning.

As technology continues to advance, electronics are getting smaller and wires are disappearing. Even electric poles, once a familiar sight on road trips, are being phased out. With the internet now ubiquitous, physical storage devices are disappearing too, and we rely more on cloud-based solutions that seem to happen over the air. ‘It’s no wonder we look up when we think of clouds ☁️, but should actually look down to the earth in the mines!

Recently, I had the opportunity to contribute to an event called “GTA Ghaziabad - Let’s Fork Together”. The event was hosted by a community of working professionals and undergraduate engineers from nearby colleges in NCR, and took place at my home office, Thoughtworks Gurgaon. Participating in this event provided me with another energy boost, and in this article, I would like to share my experience and give you a glimpse of what the event was all about!

“Change is the only constant, it doesn’t matter whether we like it or not, it takes place”- shared and reflected in my change stories. Over the years, I have been following my theory of change Accept-Observe-Absorb. It helped me to traverse through the change year 2020, and understand the role of “Will” and how to cultivate it. I shared how just one change “working from my native home” brought so many other changes in lifestyle and behavior.

Lenovo, the global technology leader, hosted the India edition of its flagship event, Tech World , on March 16th, 2023. Industry leaders come together and peep into the future of smarter technology, that is empowering a changing world through innovative products, solutions, and witness technological solutions. I get a chance to join the event, and meet and listen to the industry leaders, experience lenovo’s innovative product line, and see breakthroughs in india shaping up.

Extending Reality is providing experience to user where the boundaries of real and fake blur, and use believe in the new reality presented to them. In the recent years, the tech has evolved to enable extending the reality by XR (AR/VR) faster, and much more evolution still to happen. I was invited at Meta and Meity’s Startup Hub program as an industry expert. Here I reflect on the day I spend with the few of the top startup of india, who want to solve some of the key challenges using XR and related technology.

Every end is a beginning, if there is no end, then there is no beginning, just like the year 2023 can only start after the end of year 2022. So this is the right time to reflect and plan for a better beginning. A “Forward Looking Reflection” was my topic of a guest lecture at DesignersX at their year end event. We discussed challenges of software development, and how the industry is trying to solve them.

After a wonderful experience of participating as a judge and mentor at Smart India Hackathon 2019 and 2020, I am delighted to share that I got a chance to meet and judge India’s young winners and innovators at Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon Juniors 2022, Smart India Hackathon 2022 is a nationwide initiative to provide students a platform to solve some of the pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem solving.

Awards Indian Achiever’s Awards 2022 ☞ More Details Recognitions NITK Alumni Recognition ☞ Patent#11,988,832 B2 ☞ Patent#12,081,729 B2 Judge at Smart India Hackathon ☞ More Details ☞ More events like this Guest Lecture at NIT Calicut ☞ More Details ☞ More events like this Guest Lecture at DesignersX ☞ More Details ☞ More events like this Coverage

Sep 2020, a year ago, I was excited for getting nominated for an year long Global Leadership Development Program at Thoughtworks. At the same time was little confused on what we are going to do in this program for that long. I must say it was so well executed, despite the challenges of Covid#19, where we all(participants, speakers, coaches and other enablers) are globally distributed working from their home. Expectations were set, virtual meetings were set with options to attend at per individual comfort.

When the word “Coaching” comes into my mind, one name always pops up, the cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and his coach Mr. Ramakant Achrekar who gave him cricket. This example also helps us break the myths that coaching is needed when there are performance issues or people who are under-performing need the most. Sachin Tendulkar with his coach — Source If Sachin Tendulkar needs a coach then we all need a coach in our life to get going.

Today, The world is celebrating teacher’s day. I wish Happy Teacher’s day to all of us! We all are teachers and learners as every one of us has something to learn from others and something to teach others. I am thinking of an equation of learning that defines my way of learning and hope it would be helpful for you too. The learning equation — Learning is proportional to Sharing; Learning ∝ Sharing

After a wonderful experience of participating as a judge and mentor at Smart India Hackathon 2019, I am delighted to share that I again got a chance to meet and judge India’s young winners and innovators at Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2020, world’s biggest open innovation modal, organized by AICTE and MHRD, Govt of India. This time it is no more a hackathon but a hackathon of hackathons — 4 Lacks students, 1500 small hackathons, 40 Nodal centers, around 2000 mentors and 1000 evaluators, 11000 finalists and more…

Change is the only constant, it requires continuous effort from humankind to understand the change that leads to success, and make us even more successful. In my earlier article, I talked about the success mantra, and also wrote about accepting the change when required. Sometimes the way we perceive our success becomes a blocker for becoming more successful. We accumulate some habits knowingly or unknowingly along the path of being successful, and mostly we never realize that those habits start blocking our way forward.

Everyone in India is talking about Jeff Bezos, the richest of the world, who was on India’s visit recently. People are talking about the investments he is making in India, talking about his prediction about India’s “21st Century is going to be the Indian century”, and discussing the impact on small businesses. We have seen disruptions lead by Amazon in multiple sectors, now people have a fear that whatever Amazon touch, it becomes Amazon’s.

Inception exercise is very common in software development, where we gather the business requirements and define the delivery plan for the MVP(Minimum Viable Product) on a shared understanding. There are a set of tools and practices available to define the MVP requirements and its delivery plan. Famous tools are Lean Value Tree, Business Model Canvas, Plane Map, Elevator Pitch, Futurespective, Empathy Maps, Value Proposition Canvas, User Journey Map, Gamestorming, Process Diagram, MoSCoW, Communication Plan, Project Plan etc.

I just finished a book “Life’s Amazing Secrets” by Gaur Gopal Das. It covers the topic of balance and purpose in life nicely. Few of the concepts from the book I can very well relate to my current organization’s focus on cultivation and collaboration culture. It’s now more than 6 months of my journey with Thoughtworks, an organization which started as a social experiment more than 25 years ago, and believes in balancing 3 pillars in life ; sustainability, excellence and purpose.

Recently got a chance to judge and mentor india’s young innovators at Smart India Hackathon 2019, world’s largest hackathon with 11000 shortlisted participants, hosted by 48 centers across India. It was organized by AICTE and MHRD, Govt of India. I was invited to Judge the event at Panipat Institute of Engineering & Technology, Panipat. I am delighted to contribute in the journey of India’s transformation, and see innovative ideas from the new generation.

The book “Agile IT Organization Design - For digital transformation and continuous delivery” by Sriram Narayan explains software development as a design process. Following statement from the book means a lot. “Software development is a design process, and the production environment is the factory where product takes place. IT OPS work to keep the factory running..” It questions the way we traditionally think of operation support, maintenance, production bugs, rework, their costs and budgets and the focus in software development life.

Agile software development methodology is the key selling point for most of the IT organisations, however many of the organisations have gone by the literal meaning of the word “Agile”. They follow agile practices without really being agile. If we go by Manifesto for Agile Software Development, it focus more on human factor (people, interaction, collaboration) which produces working software as per the need of time, than on processes, tools and strict planning.