Adventures in CodeLand: Chronicles of a Once-Quixotic Techie

Flipping the Switch: How a Tech Whiz Kid Stopped Knowing It All and Started Playing It Cool!

Chapter 1 — How it began

I’m a ’90s kid from Mumbai who stumbled into the world of programming at 15, a realm completely alien to most of my friends back then. The things I was able to create with code in those early days earned me some local fame and the nickname ‘whiz kid’. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing; my big dreams often collided with the stark reality of my modest background, providing me some tough but invaluable life lessons. This is a peek into my journey, the ups and downs, and the wisdom gained, and maybe, just maybe, you might see a bit of your own story reflected in mine.

In ninth grade, I’d rush home to the computer my dad had bought — a shiny new Intel Pentium 4. It connected me to the world through a dial-up modem, and I was swiftly absorbed into the realm of Gameboy Emulators like Visual Boy Advance, experiencing console games without the console. Soon, I was immersed in the tales of various Pokémon games, reading the stories in ’90s gamer vernacular, despite my schooling being in Marathi, a regional language in India. This exposure sparked a deeper curiosity in me about the workings of the computer and the Windows 98 SE it ran, laying the foundation for my interest in technology and programming.

In 2005, a revelation hit me — all games and programs lived in ‘.EXE’ files. What were these mystifying entities, and could I create one? Opening one with Notepad revealed only cryptic symbols, fueling my curiosity further. Undeterred by initial failures, I plunged into the world of programming languages, from C and C++ to simpler ones like Visual Basic, spending days deciphering the strange lines of code. Eventually, I discovered Multimedia Builder, a low-code tool of the 2000s, quickly mastering it and even launching my creation — ‘Anuraag Active Antivirus’ on CNET, a rudimentary but proud achievement for my 16-year-old self. I became the kid who, instead of playing games, was creating them, diving deeper into the cryptic world of programming, juggling strings of code, and giving life to my creations. When Installshield called on my home number to speak to ‘Mr. Anuraag,’ my mother had to inform them, ‘he’s in school,’ instantly deflating my newfound coolness. Although it was a modest start, this journey was the gateway to my adventure in technology, unveiling worlds I never knew existed.

[See but don’t download: https://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Anuraag-Active-Antivirus.shtml]

In 2007, while playing Halo Combat Evolved for PC in multiplayer, I met online another curious kid named Yash who was living just a couple miles away, and was quite intrigued by computers himself. When I explained to him over the game chat my latest experiments while slaying human characters on the map of Battle Creek, we immediately decided that we had to meet. Yash, and I met, and we immediately decided to launch another cool product called Triologic Media Player built atop MMB. We launched it and soon got thousands of downloads on CNET. This was another badge for me. By this time I had already convinced Yash to join the same technical college I was attending. I was doing a computer engineering diploma.

[See but don’t download: https://download.cnet.com/triologic-media-player/3000-2139_4-10691520.html]

Can you tell from my body language what was going on in my head?

Trapped in a junior college plagued by incompetence — a reflection of the grim reality of the Indian education system, I found discontent brewing within me. The apathy and lack of expertise of my instructors had me questioning their credibility, fueling my arrogance. Aspirations to mirror Bill Gates’ success had already taken root in my mind; I was determined to craft software that would impact the world. By 2008, my contact number was synonymous with ‘software development services’; I had developed an online testing portal and earned recognition and some dollars. The bitterness towards what felt like meaningless studies made me a rebel, gaining me notoriety among instructors, leading to confrontations and parental interventions.

I was on a mission — to show them all. So, I founded StellarX3, diving headfirst into providing software services, while my college project boldly declared my ambitions: a real-time satellite tracker. Although bursting with a teenager’s energy and enthusiasm, I was like a misdirected cyclone, I was spiraling out of control, burning through my parents’ hard-earned money, destined for a crash he hadn’t foreseen. By this time, I had already lost about $30000 gifted by my father from his savings.

My impending crash was shadowed by my dazzling confidence and flamboyance, invisible to the onlooker. I was set on conquering the US, having joined North Carolina State University, my charisma masking my unpreparedness. Internally, a struggle ensued; my true self was in preservation mode, not sending clear distress signals. My academic indifference continued, only disrupted by subjects that piqued my curiosity like Calculus 2. The photo reveals the extent of the havoc I was wreaking, consistently clashing with my university instructors.

I know this story is a bit long, but I wanted you to see how much damage I had to undo.

The next semester brought a revelation — I felt the financial strain my parents endured for my studies at NCSU, a not-so-affordable choice. I’d boosted my grades but yearned for the exhilaration, autonomy, and liberty inherent to entrepreneurship, feeling shackled by visa restrictions and student obligations. Resolving to alleviate our fiscal woes, I dropped out, eager to join the ranks of young tech magnates, and returned to India to focus on Kronosis, my venture into code automation. Our tool streamlined database modeling and I crafted a cutting-edge, intuitive front-end design platform named Starlight. In 2015, we received warm introductions from venture capitalists, but our sluggish sales progress was evident to them. They knew that robust sales primarily stem from one of humanity’s most vital qualities — empathy. Kronosis was no exception in my life experience in that it was becoming a drome of obnoxious fireworks. Despite my engineering prowess, my abrasive attitude and lackluster sales skills were evident — I shamefully recall tormenting interviewees with grueling technical interrogations, leaving them questioning their career paths.

I went from scratching the word Kronosis in Raleigh’s (North Carolina) snow to making to-do lists in Mumbai within the same month

The harsh reality began to dawn on me, bombarding my daily thoughts with questions. Why was success eluding me? At my lowest, I had explored every ambition, from using helium-filled LDPE plastic balloons to suspend high-performance Ruckus routers to offer affordable internet, to creating a user-friendly drag-and-drop website builder, WebCuckoo. Yet, the simple truth eluded me: being an engineer didn’t equate to being an entrepreneur.

Chapter 2 — Reconditioning

If you recall ‘Life of Pi,’ there’s a striking scene where the protagonist, stranded, discovers a seemingly benign island, revealing itself as a life-recycling entity by night, symbolized as Vishnu, the Hindu god of creation. While not religious, I’m captivated by humanity’s ability to drive transformative change, fueled by emotion — a gift from nature. As I’ve noted before, while logic maintains, emotions catalyze change; self-correction, sparked by emotion, comes from within, outshining mere logic.
[Tweet: https://twitter.com/anuraagvaidya/status/1155670718920581120]

Starting in 2017, my journey took a turn. Diving into books and mingling with business minds, I consulted as a CTO for a leading digital agency under Publicis Groupe. The more I exposed my work, the more honest insights I received. I began to seek opinions, a question never posed before, “what do you think?”. During this phase, I reported to a seasoned leader, an alum of Adobe and Xerox, who recognized my potential and offered me a chance to shine again amidst the chaos of my past. Interacting with the stalwarts of Indian enterprise, I observed their humility and sharp acumen to identify and nurture strengths. Their demeanor — firm yet kind, their approach — caring, and their commitment to their mission — is unwavering.

A wanting to live for a purpose was always ingrained in me, all I had to do was cultivate respect for others. People sometimes just need a push. We are sometimes just one sentence away from converting an ambivalent conjecture to a well-developed belief, that we can do it if we decide to do so. One classic example of this was when I conducted a hackathon at this digital agency where people started working on their curiosity.

Me while conducting a hackathon to promote experimental programming

During my consulting days, the president of the digital agency recognized that I was ready to be relied on, for which I am still grateful. Between 2019 and 2021, I got the opportunity to work on revamping the architecture of one of the largest stock exchanges in Asia, followed by a project to rearchitect and revamp from scratch the loan processing system of one of the largest private sector banks in India. Both of these projects catapulted me not just financially but also technically and intellectually. These projects were not at all easy to execute, they retested all my weaknesses, including patience. I was lucky in that I could have only daydreamed of working at such a scale 10 years ago. These projects raked in close to half a million dollars in revenue for me.

[For the above paragraph I could not use the actual brand names due to NDAs.]

My team in 2021, many of whom have now moved on to do greater things as I have decided to focus on products as a solopreneur

I soon grasped that while significant, my ventures were too bespoke. My quest turned to devising something scalable, sustainable, and perpetually relevant, a focus for the past year. Now, liberated from the shackles of over-ambition and relentlessness, I’ve metamorphosed. Reflecting on the past five years, here’s my distilled wisdom for any tech entrepreneur: 1. Acknowledge and release past errors. 2. Allocate time to refine weaknesses and cultivate strengths, even if it mandates a hiatus from daily tasks. 3. Go the extra mile to deliver unparalleled value and nurture professional bonds.

I have a treasure trove of stories yet to share; let’s save them for our next rendezvous. Until then, embrace the journey, seek joy in learning, and remember, the best is yet to come!