Chandra Raghavan

Every hundred days or so I do an episode with executives I know who have just taken new AI roles. This round so many of the usual truths got flipped upside down. For the latest Skip episode I sat down with Anthony Maggio @maggioant (CPO, Runway), Gadi Ben-Zvi @GadiBenZvi (AI platform and products, Eli Lilly), and Chandra Raghavan @craynium (principal PM, Google Search AI). A ton of great insights: ◆ Join a lab to learn AI? Anthony considered one and found it too similar to a big company. "Both of the labs are now very large companies and in many ways operate like very large companies" ◆ Avoid big tech? Chandra is finding an IC role on Google Search AI is closer to his startup days than the stereotype. "It turns out it is a false dichotomy" ◆ Steer clear of non-tech? Gadi took an AI leadership role at Eli Lilly because he thinks it's the safest and most interesting way to work on AI. "When they make a bet, they are willing to spend years on it" ◆ Builders over managers? The companies that hired builders are now scaling, and executive skills matter again, but only paired with building ◆ Bring a prototype? Everyone has one now. The interviews go past it to what you built yourself and what broke along the way. "The credential doesn't just come from the vocabulary, it comes from doing the work" Full conversation, if you're thinking about a role in 2027: Write-up on Skip: open.substack.com/pub/theski… youtu.be/gyueIHxs3G4