Ashok Srinivas, SVP of Engineering at Aledade, joins The Tech Trek to break down what it really means to have impact as an engineering leader. With experience at Microsoft, Snapchat, Indeed, Dropbox, and now Aledade, Ashok brings clarity on how to assess your value, earn trust, and align technical strategy to business outcomes. Whether you're leading at a scrappy startup or an enterprise giant, this conversation offers a grounded and practical lens on leading with purpose, adjusting your playbook, and knowing when to pivot.
Key Takeaways
• Your first 90 days as a leader should be about listening, learning the culture, and earning trust
• Technical strategy only matters if it maps to business value—long-term bets need short-term execution
• Engineering leadership changes based on company stage: wartime vs peacetime, scale vs speed
• Culture and resilience matter more than expertise—especially in remote, high-change environments
• Great leaders don't just bring the right tools—they know when to use them, and when to stay curious
Timestamped Highlights
00:36 — What Aledade does and why healthcare impact is personal
02:14 — From chip design to engineering leadership: Ashok’s career journey
04:09 — Matching your leadership style to company stage and market dynamics
06:39 — Why trust-building matters more than early change-making
10:24 — How Ashok evaluates engineering impact across people, product, and execution
13:13 — The thrill of learning new business models—and why he keeps switching industries
16:41 — Aligning OKRs with team performance while still shipping hands-on
21:51 — The most underrated skill in engineering orgs: resilience in the face of ambiguity
Quote of the Episode
“Strategies change all the time. If your team isn’t aligned through culture, they won’t be ready to pivot—and that’s what really holds you back.” — Ashok Srinivas
Resources Mentioned
• Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Call to Action
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