Gaya Nagarajan
Gaya Nagarajan joined Meta in 2012 as Network Engineer and currently serves as the Vice President of Network Infrastructure. Based in the Bay Area, he leads the team responsible for the full networking stack and end-to-end lifecycle: from designing and building to operating one of the largest networks in the world that seamlessly connects 3+ billions of users – catering to their diverse and dynamic demands. Gaya is instrumental in ensuring the performance, robustness, scalability, and efficiency of Meta's networks within data centers and its large-scale AI clusters; global backbone (including subsea and terrestrial fiber investments) to Meta’s edge network and global CDN. Prior to his tenure at Meta, Gaya made significant contributions at Brocade, developing innovative products designed to meet the complex needs of large service providers. He holds a M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Kansas, and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) in India. Beyond his professional and academic achievements, Gaya is an avid sports enthusiast and keeps an active lifestyle: he has a passion for cricket, golf, and yoga.
Prashant Varshney
Prashant Varshney is a product executive, entrepreneur, and Stanford alumnus with over 25 years of experience driving innovation across AI, scientific computing, and platform infrastructure. At Microsoft, Prashant leads Product Management for the Microsoft Discovery and Quantum team, where he has pioneered agentic AI platforms and core infrastructure solutions that accelerate scientific research and engineering innovation.
His work has positioned Azure as the platform of choice for engineering-heavy sectors, fueling rapid adoption and revenue growth in semiconductors and government programs like the CHIPS Act. Prior to Microsoft, Prashant led global product lines at Siemens EDA and founded multiple startups, delivering patented technologies in smart power, chip design, and cloud infrastructure. He specializes in translating deep customer insights into bold product visions and scalable systems that create real-world impact.
Dharmesh Patel
Dharmesh Patel serves as the General Manager and head of the Quality Engineering Organization at Microsoft. In this capacity, he oversees the AI Fleet Quality team to ensure AI capacity, stability, and reliability throughout the hardware supply chain from manufacturing to data centers. His responsibilities include enabling Microsoft to scale AI capacity while maintaining high hardware quality standards across all stages of product development from concept through mass production. With nearly twenty years of experience in managing complex products and promoting process excellence within data centers, Dharmesh is a recognized leader in his field.
Pallishree Panigrahi
Pallishree Panigrahi is the Head of Data at Amazon Key, where she leads global data strategy, engineering, and analytics to power Amazon’s smart access and delivery products. With over 15 years of experience at Amazon, Meta, and other leading organizations, she has developed scalable data platforms that drive innovation, operational excellence, and customer trust.
Her work encompasses predictive intelligence, real-time feedback loops, and ethical AI frameworks that shape user-centric technology. Pallishree is passionate about designing intelligent systems that harmonize innovation with accountability, and she regularly shares insights on how to construct trustworthy AI from data to deployment.
