About

I'm Rakesh Kothari — Cofounder & CTO of MicroDegree, a platform helping IT professionals learn Cloud, DevOps, and Generative AI through live, hands-on programs in Kannada.

I've spent 15+ years in software engineering — from junior developer in Bangalore to technical lead at TCS and Highmark in the US, to building MicroDegree from the ground up in Mangaluru.

Today my work sits at the intersection of Generative AI, product development, team leadership, and technology education. I build AI-powered systems, lead engineering teams, and help professionals navigate the shift to an AI-first world.

This site is where I write about what I'm actually experiencing — not polished thought leadership, but honest accounts of decisions made, things that worked, things that didn't, and what I'm still figuring out.

Two tracks: the technical (AI-assisted development, architecture, context engineering) and the founder (hiring, team dynamics, building products with a small team in India).