Tech giant Microsoft has got its corporate vice president in the form of Aparna Chennapragada, an Indian-American tech industry veteran and former Google executive with over 20 years of experience in product development, design, and strategy.
Aparna Chennapragada will be leading generative AI efforts in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Designer, a software product that competes with Adobe and Canva. She has stepped down as chief product officer of stock trading app Robinhood.
“With generative AI, there is an opportunity to build products that instantly and easily bring your intent and imagination to life. That’s why I am super excited to share that I am joining Microsoft as Corporate VP leading efforts on AI-first creation experiences,” Chennapragada said in a LinkedIn post.
Chennapragada, who is an IIT Madras graduate, said that throughout her conversations with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in the last several months, she has come to “deeply appreciate his vision to empower people and organisations across the world using AI”.
“I’m looking forward to diving in and putting AI to use to unleash our collective creativity!” Chennapragada wrote in the post.
Chennapragada is armed with 12 years of leadership at Google, where she has led product, engineering, and design teams, across Google Search, Shopping, and AR.
She has also served as Vice President for Consumer Shopping, and the lead for AR and visual search products, and is also a board member of eBay.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Chennapragada has a B. Tech in Computer Science from IIT Madra and is a double Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas, and Management and Engineering from MIT.
The Information, a US-based business publication, reported that the move comes amid an intense rivalry between Google and Microsoft in artificial intelligence.
Another Indian-American, Rohini Srivathsa, took over the role of chief technology officer at Microsoft India and South Asia in September before Chennapragada joined in October.
Puneet Chandok was appointed as Microsoft’s corporate vice president for India and South Asia in August.
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