Kiranbir Sodhia is a Senior Engineering Manager, leading teams developing machine learning frameworks for Google and the open-source community. He has over 15 years of experience working in AI, AR, gaming, mobile app and semiconductor industries at companies like Microsoft, Apple and Garmin International. Notably, at Microsoft he led development teams in Azure, Xbox and HoloLens. Kiranbir has always known exactly what he wanted to do, since the age of 12, and used that vision to build the stepping stones and skill sets to achieve his goals. He walks us through his trajectory to becoming a manager and how he has maintained the same enthusiasm all these years later. Kiranbir talks about why you shouldn’t fear failure and how it can be a key motivator for greatness. He gives us insight into the interviewing process at the prestigious Big Tech companies, from the perspective of both a job candidate and as a leader who has built his own teams. Lastly, Kiranbir shares how he turned down pre-IPO Facebook to work at his then-dream employer Apple, a decision he calls “comical” and humbling.