Shweta Venkateswaran is an experienced software engineer and technical leader with more than 14 years of experience in designing scalable, powerful systems in the technical industry. Her career includes complex distributed systems, backend infrastructure and cross-functional technical leadership. Nowadays, as a chief engineer, she plays a key role in shaping architectural strategy, supervising technical teams and stimulating innovation on large -scale platforms. In this interview we take a deep dive in the journey of Shweta of individual contribution to chief engineer, its approach to software design and what it takes to lead system architecture in a fast-moving, high-impact environment.
V1: What does “software architecture” mean for you, and how has your understanding evolved?
Software -architecture is about designing systems that go beyond meet functional requirements; It is about building with quality characteristics, such as modifiabability, scalability, performance and resilience, in mind. Early in my career I saw architecture as something abstract, something that only very senior engineers had to deal with. However, when I worked on increasingly complex systems, I realized that architectural decisions are clear everywhere, whether you have them formally or not.
Architecture is about considerations, patterns, resilience and people. The point is to zoom out and see how all the pieces fit, not only now, but in about five years from now on. It is the discipline of making deliberate decisions in an environment that is constantly evolving and designing systems that can grow with it.
Shweta Venkateswaran
V2: How did you switch from a strong individual contribution to becoming a chief engineer?
I have always wanted to be an architect, even if an individual contribution I would make an attempt to understand the general system and how every small function influenced the product as a whole. That mentality naturally pushed me to look beyond the implementation and in the design.
A turning point came when I proposed a fundamental changes for data model that could significantly improve scalability and resilience. That idea gave me the chance to lead the initiative, my first real step in a technical leadership role.
Since then I have not looked back. I have consistently taken the initiative to identify architectural improvements that reinforce the system, keep quality characteristics such as modifiability, performance and reliability in mind. Over time, this proactive approach led me to where I am today, to manage architecture about teams and by leading design.
V3: What kind of problems do you find most interesting to design?
I feel most attracted to problems with scale, performance and cost efficiency. The idea of scaling a small function while you stay within the budget and still deliver a high impact, I am fascinated. These kinds of challenges force you to think holistically: not just about what works, but what takes, what is maintained and what can evolve with growth.
One of the most fulfilling projects I worked on was a cost optimization initiative that resulted in an annual saving of $ 3.6 million. It was not just about reducing costs; It was about building a system based on usability, scalability and sustainability in the long term.
Designing systems, such as orchestration layers or optimization platforms, requires clarity, system thinking and ownership in the long-term the types of problems that I like to solve.
V4: What does a chief engineer do other than a senior engineer?
A senior engineer usually has a specific function or service that takes it from design to delivery, often work independently and mentoring if possible. A chief engineer, on the other hand, is responsible for delivering the entire project, often one that includes multiple teams, services and layers of the stack.
As a chief engineer I am responsible for overall architecture and supervise other engineers – senior or junior – to ensure that each piece comes together. I unblock technical problems, assign the right projects to the right people based on their strengths and work closely with technical managers to coordinate staff and priorities.
I am also responsible for estimating project range, presenting designs to cross-functional stakeholders and leadership and getting architectural buy-in. And during all this I guide engineers at every level to help them grow into more strategic, system -conscious contributors.
Success at this level is measured by impact and influence, not only in systems, but in how well you raise the team around you.
V5: You have switched from individual contribution to leading actor Large Platforms. What are some of the most interesting systems with a high impact that you have personally built or led?
I have led several large live data migrations, including one that moved around 465 million active PayPal accounts from a Legacy store to a modern database platform, and another that migrated around 50,000 splunk tenants to an architecture of the next generation. Each required a different strategy to achieve downtime of almost zero and zero data loss: carefully staged cutovers, short-all-reading windows when necessary, dual writing or re-playing pipelines and layered validation before the traffic completely switched. I also helped to build core services from the start, including the stored value service of PayPal, where we developed a whole legacy service in Java that was more efficient. Moreover, I led the SPL2 -Zoekork ration layer at Splunk, which helps to introduce a new compiler language to customers. A common thread in all this is the design of maintainability and modifiability from the start, clear domain boundaries, contract-first APIs, version schedules and integration of authentication (authn) and authorization (authz), as well as perceptibility. That in advance discipline has enabled these systems to evolve smoothly, instead of requiring expensive re -descriptions later.
V6: You have guided many engineers. What does technical mentorship look like?
Mentoring is not about giving answers – it is about teaching people how to think architecturally. I help engineers to develop pattern recognition, to think critically about considerations and communicate their ideas.
Sometimes it is as simple as asking the right questions in a design assessment. Other times it is about helping someone see his own growth path. I also believe in making space – creating an environment where people feel safe to speak, challenge ideas and to make the property of decisions.
V7: As a woman in Backend Engineering, how did you find your voice in a space dominated by men?
By being clear, consistent and data controlled. I have discovered that building credibility through thoughtful work and steady delivery is going a long way. That said, there have been times when I had to assert myself more than others, just to be heard.
In the course of time I learned that it is a powerful approach with both technical depth and clarity. I also guided women to do the same because representation matters, especially in deep technical roles.
V8: What advice would you give engineers who want to grow further than implementation into architecture and influence?
Stop only concentrate on your tasks. Look holistically at the system. Ask “why” something is as it is. Become curious about limitations, scalability and long -term considerations.
Moreover, communicating your ideas – influence is not only technical; It is also interpersonal. Lead through clarity, no noise. And take initiative. Many architectural possibilities are not allocated – they are claimed by people who see something that others have missed.
Thank you, Shweta, for sharing your insights and experiences. Your journey offers valuable lessons for both current and aspiring technical leaders.
Readers can connect to Shweta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shweta-Venkateswaran-21484259/
