Autodesk Life
While Autodesk’s headquarters may be in San Francisco, we have offices in 47 countries – one of which is India. Here, two Autodeskers share what it’s like to work at Autodesk in India:
Padmaja Manjunath is an Engineering Manager based in Bangalore, India, who has been with Autodesk for just under two years. She was inspired to join Autodesk because of our culture and values. “They play a very essential role in day-to-day life, and I loved joining Autodesk for the same reason.”
Vaibhav Malhotra is a Principal Software Engineer based in Pune, India, who joined Autodesk in March 2019. He has always been fascinated with the software Autodesk has built over the years, like Fusion 360. “I had a couple of friends who were part of Autodesk and they had delightful stories to tell about the work culture. So, it was easy for me to make the decision, anticipating magnificent work and expecting great culture.”
When it comes to living and working in India, both Vaibhav and Padmaja cite the country’s rich, diverse culture as what they love most.
“India is a land of 28 states with 22 recognized languages, and we have close to 50 regional and national festivals that are celebrated every year,” Padmaja shares. “And India’s cuisine is considered one of the world’s most diverse – 70 percent of all the world’s spices are exported from here.”
“India is truly diverse in terms of culture, languages, food, and rituals – you get to feel the difference every 100 km,” Vaibhav says. “And because of the recent increase in people working from home, people have started shifting away from metro cities, so there has been an urban flavor of unification in the smaller towns.”
As for why they love working at Autodesk, Vaibhav and Padmaja sum it up in three themes:
Challenging, connected work
As an engineering and tech-first company, Vaibhav enjoys getting to work on challenging projects. “I like how much emphasis Autodesk puts on developing its engineering teams into alternative dimensions like full-stack development, desktop applications, and DevOps,” he says. “There is always so much to learn that you never feel bored working here, and you often get a taste of what other teams are doing, too.”
“Autodesk uses OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to help us understand the strategy and how our work is connected to the bigger picture,” Padmaja says. “You get to engage directly with the CEO, COO, and CIO through various channels, which helps us understand and feel connected to the future of the company.”
The Autodesk team in India team is growing rapidly, “so on one end, there are a lot of experienced folks who can guide you with their experience, and on the other, we have a pool of fresh talent joining us, which brings a fresh perspective,” Vaibhav shares. “This presents a best-of-both-worlds situation, where we have a startup kind of mindset and agility, but a proven methodology to back it.”
Flexibility is key
Vaibhav calls out our Flexible Workplace program – which, simply put, is flexibility in where and how work gets done – as another key benefit. “I’ve found Autodesk to be pretty flexible in terms of work location, hours, and style. Even before the pandemic, we had quite flexible policies for our work-from-home culture.”
And it’s not just flexibility in where and how we work; it’s also about the freedom to think big and try new things.
“Autodesk certainly values great ideas,” Vaibhav says. “Many places have a project-first attitude, so innovation might take a back seat at times, but at Autodesk, if you have something to try out, you get all the required resources and assistance you need.”
Appreciation and celebration
Padmaja loves Autodesk’s culture of appreciation and says it brings more energy. “You’re inspired to do even better when you feel appreciated,” she says. “I feel valued and heard, and I am inspired to be a better decision maker. Everyone is empowered to give their best at work.”
There are a lot of celebratory company events that take place throughout the year, including monthly birthday celebrations with cake cutting and musical chairs, informal team engagements playing online games like Tambola and Pictionary, local CSR events, and other offsite events. “These are all great ways to make face-to-face connections, meet new people, and network,” she says.
Whether home-based, office-based, or hybrid, Autodeskers in India get to work on exciting projects and enjoy the company’s amazing culture, all while playing a vital role in supporting Autodesk’s global mission.
“Autodesk is a great company with core values and culture, it is a learning avenue to explore your destination,” Padmaja says. “I bet you would learn a lot more than you’d expect – there are plenty of opportunities to discover and do your best.”
Interested in working at Autodesk in India? Check out our current openings!