Ongoing AI/tech induced disruptions and a big gap between college graduates and employable talent mean heavy investments by companies on upskilling their workforce. Is there a fast-track solution to bridge this gap in India?
India has performed well on a global scale in upskilling talent, thanks to a strong university system and a focus on the right talent mix. From my visits over the last six or seven years, it is clear that discussions on upskilling and education are moving talent in the right direction. While there’s a global shortage of AI skills and we cannot expect a flood of graduates, broad computer science and engineering education can fill this gap. Various governments across India and the Indian government have focused on ensuring the correct skills mix through upskilling and education. Although no government is perfect, India’s has been fairly proactive to this transformational technology shift.
Most companies are forcing employees back to offices in India. What makes Atlassian stick by its “Team Anywhere” policy?
“Team Anywhere” allows us to attract talent from 16-17 different states in India and allows us access talent we otherwise couldn’t. This policy works well for a large portion of our employees and offers flexibility and boosts productivity and satisfaction. While it’s not necessarily the best approach for every company, it fits Atlassian’s needs and differentiates us in the market. We’re committed to continually improving this model pragmatically, not dogmatically, ensuring it benefits most of our employees.
What has driven Atlassian’s fast growth in India? Is it solely built on an interest in the local talent or global capability development?
It’s a combination of factors. Atlassian’s growth globally has made India a key location, attracting fantastic talent. The strong cultural ties between Australia and India, including shared interests like cricket, have helped. Additionally, Atlassian’s “Team Anywhere” policy allows employees to work from various locations in India, which has helped us broaden our talent pool. Importantly, Atlassian focuses on meaningful work and R&D in India, with significant contributions to new AI product developments as well.
How has Atlassian’s AI development evolved in the last 18 months? What have been India’s contributions in this effort?
We have integrated AI, including machine learning and data-driven AI, for about a decade. The rise of Gen generative AI (Gen AI) and large language models like ChatGPT in the last 18 months has been transformative. Gen AI helps us understand and create content, significantly enhancing our products. Our AI team spans three geographies, with a substantial part in India, focusing on search platform and Gen AI around search. India-based team's contributions were crucial in developing Rovo, our new AI-driven product, which wouldn’t exist without Gen AI.
How is Atlassian progressing with data residency investments in India? Are there plans for data centres by the end of the year?
We don’t have our own data centres in India, but we’ve expanded our cloud data residency options. We added seven new regions globally, including India, allowing customers to choose to store their data within the Indian geography. This is done using third-party data centres and cloud providers. India is one of 11 global regions now supported. This shows its importance as a fast-growing market for both customers and staff.
_20240701175159_original_image_19.webp)
