Artificial intelligence is reshaping every facet of the modern workplace — from how products are built to how leaders strategize and make decisions. For technology leaders, it’s not just about keeping pace — it’s about setting the direction. As innovation cycles compress and productivity tools evolve daily, the role of engineering leaders has never been more critical.

To explore this pivotal moment in tech, we spoke with Naga Vadrevu, Chief Technology Officer at Wonderschool. With a background spanning top-tier firms like Square and an academic foundation in computer science, Naga is at the forefront of integrating AI into daily workflows, team culture, and business impact. His story is one of adaptation, bold decision-making, and an unwavering passion for building.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

As a kid, I loved building things. I wrote programs in COBOL and BASIC and was fascinated by watching a cursor move based on my instructions. That joy of creation never left me. I studied computer science for both my bachelor’s and master’s — moving to the U.S. in 2008 to attend the University of Houston. Adjusting to the U.S. education system was a shock, but a good one. It was far more practical, and that suited me perfectly. I had great professors who brought industry experience into the classroom. We were learning about things like unit testing in 2008, which was cutting-edge at the time and helped lay a strong foundation for my career.

What was your introduction to AI, and how did you recognize its potential?

AI has always been part of the conversation. Even during my studies, we were experimenting with traditional rule-based systems and early machine learning. LLMs weren’t around yet, but we had supervised and unsupervised learning models doing some impressive work. By 2016 or so, developers were already playing with open-source language models — even if they lacked the context and polish of what we have today. We could see where things were heading.

So you were using large language models before ChatGPT went public?

Yes, though not in the consumer-ready way people experience now. We were experimenting with open-source models like GPT-2.5. They required manual setup and weren’t nearly as user-friendly. But even back then, we saw how powerful generative models could be for code, content, and pattern recognition.

When ChatGPT went public, what was your reaction?

I was shocked by how fast it hit. We expected that kind of release to be a decade away. Suddenly, millions of people were using it within weeks. I knew the technology had potential, but the consumer adoption blew me away. And we’re still just scratching the surface — context windows are expanding, which means these models can do more with better understanding.

How has AI changed your job personally?

It’s made my work much more enjoyable. I’ve always been an engineer at heart, but as I moved into management and leadership roles, I had less time to build. Now, I can block off an hour, shut down Slack, and get back to building products or shipping something meaningful. Tasks that used to take days now take hours. It’s reconnected me with the core of why I got into tech.

What does Wonderschool do, and who do you serve?

We’re trying to fix the childcare crisis in the U.S. Kids ages 0–5 mostly rely on private care, and only about 50% of the country has proper coverage. That limits parents from working, which impacts the entire economy. We build tech solutions that support providers and state governments to expand access and improve quality. Better childcare means more people can work, which benefits everyone.

What’s the biggest leadership challenge you face right now?

It’s helping our engineering teams embrace new technologies as fast as they’re evolving. Every week, there’s a new tool, framework, or research paper. My challenge is identifying what’s worth our time — what delivers real business impact — without burning out the team.

And personally, what’s a leadership skill you’re working on improving?

Communication. Especially in a remote world, you have to tailor the same message for different audiences — engineers, cross-functional peers, executives. Each one needs a different lens, and I’m constantly learning how to improve that.

What’s something you wish your team would embrace more?

Taking more risks. Engineers are trained to be cautious and methodical, which is valuable. But in today’s AI-powered world, we sometimes have to break old habits and try new things — even if they’re imperfect. The speed of change demands it.

Can you share a risk you’ve taken that paid off?

One major one — I shut down our entire QA department. It was a bold move, but I believed we could automate quality checks with AI and better testing practices. Six months later, our customer satisfaction scores haven’t dropped, and we’ve reinvested those resources into engineering and product development. Another example is automating customer support replies using AI. That reduced cost and improved response time without hurting quality.

What’s a passion project you’ve worked on recently?

My daughter and I love playing chess, so I built a custom chess platform for us. It lets her create fun themes — like pizza or donut chessboards — and simulate different moves. It’s not production-grade, but it’s something we enjoy together. It took me a weekend to build, and that’s something that would’ve taken months in the past.

What do you think is coming next in tech that most people don’t see yet?

The speed of building and releasing software is shrinking drastically. What used to take a year can now be done in a few months. That means more entrepreneurs, more niche products, and more rapid innovation. We’ll see small teams creating powerful solutions for very specific audiences. The whole landscape is shifting.

How do you view the fear that AI will replace jobs?

Jobs won’t disappear — they’ll evolve. Everyone will need to retrain every few years. That includes me. The real challenge is staying competitive by continually learning new skills. Those who adapt will thrive.

What advice do you have for recent grads who want to get into AI?

Develop T-shaped skills — go deep in one area, but get exposure across design, product, and user experience. It’s not enough to just code. You have to show how your work impacts customers. The speed of learning expected today is unlike anything we’ve seen before.

If we reconnect a year from now, what needs to happen for you to feel proud of your progress?

I want to drive measurable impact — help generate revenue or save money through innovation. Personally, I want AI tools to be as natural to me as using Zoom or Google Docs — completely integrated into my workflow.

About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator.