Janak is a Chartered Accountant with a decade of experience working across the private, public, and non-profit domains. He is the founding member and lead of partnerships and strategy at Wadhwani AI, the world’s first and only technology non-profit building 30+ AI-powered solutions for social impact. Previously, he was the team lead in the Chief Minister's War Room in Maharashtra, where he accelerated public infrastructure projects worth $40BN and built an AI ecosystem in the State. Janak is also an advisor to two startups.
In 2021, Janak was shortlisted as 'Young Talent Of The Year' by Berkeley University and also conferred a 'Warrior of Change' award by the Governor of Maharashtra for volunteering on the frontlines during COVID.
We talked about his journey in the government and his new venture in AI. Have a look at the topics we discussed -
3:07 - Background story
5:20 - Articleship and 1st job
7:15 - Experience of working in consultancy
8:40 - Govt of Maharashtra's CM Fellowship
12:13 - How to deal with bureaucrats and ministers?
17:43 - Learning new skills
25:31 - Becoming a Covid Warrior
29:40 - About Wadhwani AI @wadhwaniai9048
34:37 - CAs role in government and AI
38:22 - Rapid fire questions: Big 4 vs. Mid-size firms; Studies vs. Articleship experience; Quitting CA on time vs. Keep giving attempts; Usual role - Higher pay vs. New role - Pay cut
40:12 - Ranting on the syllabus, articleship and much more
44:40 - AI, ManU and Travel - his obsessions
47:38 - Recommendations:
Books - Rich Dad Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki) - https://amzn.to/3s8e951, The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) - https://amzn.to/3Yqpcmd, Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future (Ashley Vance) - https://amzn.to/3OxtJ1F, Shoe Dog (Phil Knight) - https://amzn.to/3DPMjNv, India's Most Fearless (Shiv Aroor & Rahul Singh) - https://amzn.to/3DO6Qlo
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