Suggestions
Gokul Rajaram
Profile of Gokul Rajaram
Gokul Rajaram is a prominent figure in product development, currently serving as the General Manager of Caviar at DoorDash. He previously held the position of Product Engineering Lead at Square from 2013 to 2019, where he played a crucial role in leading software development for various products, including Square Register, a comprehensive point-of-sale system designed for businesses.13
Education and Early Career
Rajaram has a strong academic background, holding a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, where he was awarded the President of India's Gold Medal for being the class valedictorian. He also earned a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.23
Before his tenure at Square, Rajaram was the Product Director of Ads at Facebook, where he was instrumental in transitioning Facebook's advertising business to a mobile-first approach. He also worked at Google as a Product Management Director for AdSense, contributing significantly to its development and growth.237
Contributions and Current Role
At DoorDash, Rajaram leads Caviar, a premium food ordering service, and serves on the boards of several companies, including Pinterest and Coinbase. His expertise in product management and development has made him a sought-after advisor and investor in early-stage technology startups.245
Rajaram is recognized for his strategic insights and collaborative approach to product development, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer needs and fostering innovation within teams.67
Highlights
Excerpt from monthly update:
Founding Engineer: emailed 5,250 that met Founding Engineer Target Criteria. Interviewed 128 personally. Hired 2.
This is what it takes.
RIGHTSIZED PRODUCT ENGINEERING TEAMS
From an eng leader at a top consumer AI company:
"You're spot on with this. Without getting in the weeds, larger product eng teams actually seem a burden that needs to be navigated in the world of Cursor + Claude Sonnet (and there's some other new promising tools). The best (or worst depending on perspective) part is that this is the worst these workflows will ever be hereon!"
