Akhilesh Yede

About Akhilesh Yede

Akhilesh is a results-oriented technology leader and the current CTO for Microsoft’s Digital Native Group, partnering with founders and C‑suite executives to architect and accelerate AI-driven platform transformations. With 24+ years of experience across startups and global enterprises, he has scaled high-performing engineering teams worldwide and built platforms used by millions.He has led globally distributed teams across the US, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, UK, Denmark, and India — delivering large-scale innovation across AI, cloud, IoT, and consumer devices. His journey spans launching Nokia’s first Android platform and globally successful devices like the N96, E75, and Asha smartphones; building Airtel’s market-leading IoT platforms from scratch; and embedding AI into Groupon’s merchant systems to streamline operations and drive engagement.Akhilesh is deeply passionate about building future-ready tech organizations through global collaboration, strong mentorship, and a culture of engineering excellence.

Experience

1. Chief Technology Officer - Digital Native

   Microsoft

   Feb 2025 — Present · Bengaluru, IN

   As CTO for Microsoft’s Digital Native Group, I work closely with founders and C‑suite leaders of India’s most innovative startups to shape and accelerate their AI-first transformation journeys. The focus is on scaling innovation on Azure and unlocking value through Microsoft’s advanced AI and data platforms—spanning Azure OpenAI, Azure Foundry, Microsoft Fabric, CoPilots, etc.These offerings go beyond infrastructure, acting as accelerators for AI-native product development:– Azure Foundry provides a powerful framework for building and operationalizing custom AI copilots and multi-agent workflows,– Microsoft Fabric unifies data engineering, real-time analytics, and governance, significantly reducing time to insight,– Azure CoPilots bring domain-specific intelligence into developer tools, productivity apps, and industry workflows.By aligning technical architecture with business outcomes, the goal is to help startups build responsibly, differentiate faster, and lead with AI across their product and platform strategies.

Skills

• Program Management
• Mobile Technology
• Gsm
• Agile Project Management
• Symbian
• Gprs
• Software Development
• Wcdma
• Pre-Sales
• Mobile Applications
• Mobile Communications
• Software Project Management
• Mobile Devices
• Embedded Software
• Lte
• Wireless
• Management
• Telecommunications
• Product Development
• 3g