Meet Amit Ojha

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amit Ojha a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amit, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I found my purpose by paying attention to the moments that genuinely energized me. Early in my career I worked hard to grow, taking on bigger roles and responsibilities, but over time I started noticing the work that actually made me feel alive. For me, that was building things that mattered, solving hard problems with smart people, and helping teams grow into their potential.

It wasn’t one big event. It was a series of small realizations that kept pulling me toward the same themes: creating impact through technology, using AI to push boundaries, and mentoring people so they can do the best work of their lives. Once I connected those dots, everything else started lining up.

My purpose became less about finding something “out there” and more about leaning into what I naturally gravitate toward every day.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I lead engineering, data, and AI initiatives for fast-growing companies, and my work sits at the intersection of technology, customer experience, and scalable architecture. I’ve spent my career helping brands expand globally, modernize their platforms, and unlock new revenue through AI-driven personalization and automation. What excites me most is building systems that don’t just work today, but set teams up for the next decade of growth.

My work is special to me because it blends strategy, engineering, and leadership. I love turning complexity into clarity, helping teams move faster, and creating technology that feels almost invisible because it just works. I’m also passionate about making AI practical. Instead of treating it as a buzzword, I focus on using it to solve real problems; things like smarter supply chains, better customer journeys, and more reliable data ecosystems.

Beyond the day-to-day, I’ve been building a strong personal brand around AI-led commerce and modern engineering leadership. This has opened doors to publish articles, speak on panels, mentor emerging founders, and collaborate with companies that want to push the boundaries of what’s possible with data and automation.

Right now, I’m focused on a few areas that I’m really excited about:
• expanding my work around agentic AI systems for healthcare
• launching thought-leadership pieces that help demystify AI for executives
• supporting emerging AI and retail companies through mentorship and strategic guidance

It’s a fun place to be. There’s so much innovation happening, and I feel lucky to play a role in shaping how the next generation of digital experiences are built.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

When I look back, three things stand out as the most impactful in my journey:

1. Systems thinking
Understanding how different parts of a business connect changed the way I lead. It helped me design platforms that scale, make better decisions, and move teams in the same direction.
Advice: Start by zooming out. When you work on a project, don’t just learn the task. Learn the upstream and downstream impact. Ask “why” until the full picture makes sense. Over time, you’ll naturally start thinking in systems instead of tasks.

2. Technical depth with constant learning
Technology evolves fast, and every major step in my career came from staying curious. Whether it was AI, data pipelines, or modern commerce stacks, going deep gave me an edge.
Advice: Pick one area you care about and go all in for a while. Watch talks, read docs, build tiny side projects. Then repeat with the next area. Compounding knowledge is real, and it pays off.

3. Leadership through clarity and empathy
I learned that teams don’t need perfect answers. They need direction, honesty, and someone who cares enough to help them grow. A lot of my success came from creating environments where smart people can do their best work.
Advice: Practice communicating simply. Make decisions transparent. Support people in moments where it would be easier to look away. These small habits build trust, and trust is what actually scales a team.

If you’re early in your career, the best thing you can do is stay curious, stay humble, and say yes to the work that scares you a bit. That’s usually where the growth is.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

A book that played a big role in my development is The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. I read it early in my leadership journey, and it shaped how I approach tough decisions, team building, and the realities of running technology organizations.

A few lessons from the book that really stuck with me:

1. There are no perfect answers when things get hard
Horowitz talks openly about how most leadership challenges don’t have clean or obvious solutions. That helped me let go of the idea that I needed to have all the answers. Instead, I focus on being decisive, transparent, and steady when it matters.

2. “Take care of the people, the product, and the profits — in that order.”
This one changed how I think about priorities. Strong teams build strong products, and strong products drive healthy businesses. When you invest in people first — through clarity, coaching, and trust — everything else follows.

3. The best leaders are the ones who stay calm in chaos
The book reinforced that there’s power in staying grounded when everything around you feels uncertain. I’ve carried that forward in every high-pressure situation, whether it’s a platform outage, a major launch, or navigating organizational change.

4. Embrace the struggle instead of avoiding it
Horowitz’s honesty about the emotional side of leadership made me realize that discomfort is part of growth. Some of the biggest inflection points in my career came from leaning into the hard problems instead of steering around them.

That book helped me understand that leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about resilience, judgment, and your ability to support people even when the path forward isn’t crystal clear. It’s a lesson I still come back to today.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.amitojha.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aamitojha