Rewiring Careers, Redefining Impact with Anu Dwaraknath

In this episode of Software People Stories, Gayatri Kalyanaraman speaks with Anu Dwaraknath, Staff Technical Program Manager at Lam Research, about her dynamic journey across geographies, domains, and roles. From her early days in telecom to becoming a driving force in the semiconductor space, Anu shares stories of adaptability, continuous learning, and purpose-driven leadership.

Episode Summary

In this inspiring episode of Software People Stories, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Anu Dwaraknath, Staff Technical Program Manager at Lam Research — a global leader in semiconductor capital equipment.

Anu walks us through her transformative journey from a telecom software engineer to a program leader in the high-stakes world of semiconductors. With warmth and clarity, she shares how each stage of her career was shaped by curiosity, grit, and a willingness to embrace new challenges.

Having started in C/C++ development at Alcatel-Lucent, Anu transitioned into technical program management after earning a general management MBA in the U.S. — a shift she undertook during the 2008 recession. With no prior semiconductor experience, she joined Lam Research as an intern and steadily built her domain knowledge, moving from internal IT to core product engineering over the next decade.

Now based in India, Anu leads software initiatives on tools that power the chips behind every smart device — and actively advocates for greater awareness and participation in the semiconductor industry, especially for women in tech.

Key Themes & Highlights

Breaking Into Semiconductors with Persistence and Curiosity

• Joined Lam Research during her MBA through an internship focused on business analysis.
• Despite being new to the domain, she took on enterprise software migrations, bridging the business and engineering teams.
• Faced challenges around visa sponsorship and recession-era job market, but leveraged every opportunity to gain cross-functional exposure.

Learning the Domain, One Layer at a Time

• Started in IT and internal systems, then gradually moved into product-facing roles within Lam.
• Through subconscious learning from team meetings, leadership messages, and everyday exposure, she began to understand the complex world of semiconductor fabrication and capital equipment.
• Upon relocating to India, she took on a more core product role — bringing her closer to engineers and customers