Accidental Start to an AI-Era Technology Leader with Vijaya Kadiyala

My guest today is Vijays Kadiala, ,Executive Director  for Architecture, Engineering, AI, Data, Cloud in DBS Tech India talks about his accidental start to an AI Era tech leader who’s defining mantra has been Every role has an expiration date! Conversation highlights00:32 — 25 years of a career that wasn't plannedVijay introduces his journey across startups, TCS, Infosys, Capgemini, JPMorgan Chase and DBS, with data and data-intensive applications as a recurring theme.02:35 — From a two-bedroom startup to the corporate worldVijay recalls his unexpected entry into entrepreneurship after graduating with no job offers and describes the freedom, ownership and lack of bureaucracy that made those early startup years memorable.05:39 — Why he left the startupA fascinating look at how social and family expectations influenced career decisions in the early 2000s—and why working for a recognised IT company mattered so much at that time.07:57 — Has entrepreneurship become a label?Vijay reflects on today's startup culture and the difference between genuinely solving a customer problem and simply wanting to be called an entrepreneur.10:02 — Are GCCs really global capability centres?Vijay offers his perspective on GCCs, suggesting that organisations should think beyond the label and focus on what makes an India-based technology centre genuinely different and valuable.11:09 — The “expiration date” of a career roleOne of the central ideas of the conversation: every role has a lifespan. Vijay's approach has been to find a problem, solve it in roughly 18 months, create customer value and move on to the next challenge.14:19 — Make yourself redundantGayatri shares her own three-year theory, while Vijay explains why he believes professionals should constantly create enough value for their current role to become unnecessary.15:19 — Choosing the uncomfortable pathFrom production support to PL/SQL to data architecture, Vijay describes several career decisions where he deliberately entered unfamiliar territory.18:10 — Moving to the US as a data architectA new role, a new country, a new culture and a new way of communicating. Vijay talks about the challenges of his first international assignment.19:29 — Taking the biggest career betIn 2018, Vijay chose to move from people management into an executive individual-contributor role at JPMorgan Chase—putting his promotion trajectory at risk in the process.22:26 — You have to make the decisionA powerful discussion about career choices, risk and the importance of betting on yourself. Even a wrong decision, Vijay argues, can cost only a year or two in a career that may span 35–50 years.23:11 — Building a second identity through writingVijay explains how his leadership talks evolved into his first book and why his leadership philosophy begins outside the workplace.24:58 — What driving can teach us about leadershipHis unusual leadership framework connects everyday driving behaviour with leadership behaviours—how we respond to rules, pressure, uncertainty, other people and unexpected situations.26:57 — Writing with the help of LLMsVijay and his son began putting their ideas on paper and then using LLMs to help develop them. His philosophy is simple: the ideas and experiences remain human; AI becomes a tool to help express them.28:01 — Giving back to the next generationVijay has spent nearly 14 years visiting universities and colleges, sharing practical experiences with students and helping them accelerate their journeys.40:01 — Learn across culturesVijay encourages professionals to work with organisations from different parts of the world—not only to gain technical experience, but to understand how culture influences leadership, communication and behaviour.45:01 — What will technology careers look like in 2031?Vijay predicts that AI agents will transform traditional roles such as business analysis, testing and software development. Instead of specialised roles operating in isolation, he sees a future of professionals combining technical depth, domain knowledge and AI capabilities.50:00 — From I-shaped to M-shaped professionalsVijay describes the evolution from deep expertise in one area to professionals who have multiple areas of technical depth combined with domain understanding.52:00— Four skills for the AI eraCuriosity — the ability to keep asking “Why?”Domain experience — understanding the business and context behind the technology.Orchestration — knowing what humans should do, what agents can do and where humans and agents should work together.Judgment — making decisions when AI produces ambiguous, conflicting or potentially incorrect answers.55:00— Why curiosity mattersVijay reflects on how traditional cultures can sometimes discourage questioning and argues that curiosity will become one of the most important capabilities in an AI-driven world.56:00 — Five movies that imagined the AI futureVijay recommends Terminator 2, I, Robot, Surrogates, Passengers and WALL-E as interesting ways to think about different dimensions of an AI-driven future.Key TakeawaysYour first career decision doesn't have to define your career.Sometimes the best opportunities begin with circumstances you didn't choose.Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Vijay's biggest career moves often came when he knew very little about the new role.Don't wait for your role to become obsolete. Create value, make the role redundant and move forward.Take calculated bets on yourself—even when the safer option is available.Build your career across people, technology and cultures.Leadership is not something that exists only inside a workplace; it is reflected in our everyday behaviour.AI will not simply replace technology roles—it will reshape them.The future professional will combine technical depth with domain knowledge and the ability to orchestrate AI.Curiosity and judgment remain deeply human capabilities.Vijaya Kadiyala is a technology leader with over two decades of experience spanning data, AI, cloud and enterprise transformation. Having worked with organisations such as TCS, Infosys, JPMorgan Chase and DBS Bank, he has evolved from a deep technical specialist into a leader shaping technology at GCC scale.At DBS Tech India, Vijaya works at the intersection of Data, AI, Cloud and enterprise transformation, helping build technology capabilities for a highly regulated financial-services environment. His journey also includes patents, innovation awards, mentoring and building high-performing technology teams.What makes Vijaya's story particularly interesting is the evolution of his career—from being a hands-on technologist and database expert to becoming a technology and transformation leader navigating the rapidly changing world of AI.Vijay can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijaya-kadiyala/