Observation Book

Observation Book: a blog on software, art, business and other pre-occupations of Vandana Guru

The Tsunami Crashed Her Dreams. Now She is Breaking The Glass Ceiling as a Tech Leader

I wrote to Silva Thom on the possibility of profiling her. We spent the next few weekends discussing her intensely unconventional journey into software and product management.

May 22, 2020
Your career is a team sport — you won’t get there alone.

Got the chance to have a tete-a-tete with product management leader Jill Solley. Read what she has to say about her early experiences in tech and her advice for young women.

April 27, 2020
All you have to do is ask

I talk to Rekha— a veteran Product leader based out of San Francisco about her journey into tech, transition into product management and mentoring women.

April 15, 2020
5 Seats of Power

Sometimes, we all tend to feel like we don’t have permission to tell our colleagues what’s not working well. But three Saturdays ago, Apoorva and Partha from Quinnergy changed all that for me and a room full of people.

March 19, 2020
My Jugaad Approach to Learn System Design Thinking

I love writing a startling heading. Jugaad is the gutsy art of overcoming harsh constraints to solve a problem using limited resources.– Harvard Business Review My constraints are a lack of a formal degree in Computer Science. My most limited resource is time. My problem is a bunch of unknown unknowns in software. I’ve been…

December 5, 2019
Reality as a Matryoshka Doll

I’ve come to a grand conclusion that there is exactly one ongoing debate in the world. Don’t ask me what I’ve been smoking. This debate gets reframed to suit different contexts. The ebullient young students debate on “Determinism vs Free Will“. The mature social scientists and academics call it “Nature vs Nurture“. If neither rings…

December 1, 2019
On Dealing with Conflicts for Better Collaboration

I think I’m most qualified to talk about two things on my blog: Risk and Conflicts. In this post, I dive deep into the types of conflicts and how to tackle those for better collaboration.

November 27, 2019
8 Unpopular Ideas On Dating, Relationship and Marriage

Stuff I do not agree with but worth thinking deeply about.

August 11, 2019
Who is a novelist?

A novelist, like every artist, is someone who is yet to make peace with herself. After all, the most striking works of art come from the most wretchedly discontent humans— those who chop their ears or die of poison. She is fully aware of the insanity in labouring for a world that’s invisible to others.…

July 22, 2019
So you think you know about privacy?

Privacy is a complex topic. It’s a buzzword among tech reporters. A dead concept according to private investigator Steve Rambam. A bunch of PPTs skimmed off Google by Data Protection Officers. A double-edged sword for UI/UX designers. A myth in Indian homes. My biggest personal truth yet. Nothing can make you dig deep into the…

July 10, 2019