Meet Shradheya Thakre, Senior Software Engineer, Tech Lead
For Shradheya Thakre, stepping into leadership wasn’t about a title, it was about trust. In just over a year, he’s grown from a hands-on engineer to leading a team that builds the data systems powering Abnormal’s detection products.
December 15, 2025
From Engineer to Tech Lead: Growing Fast and Building Trust
When Shradheya joined Abnormal, he was drawn to the challenge of building large-scale data systems that fuel AI-powered detection. But what he didn’t expect was how quickly he’d be trusted to lead one of them.
When he first joined, what stood out most wasn’t just the scale of the technical challenge — it was the chance to build on an AI-native foundation.
“So many places were adding AI on top of legacy systems,” he says. “At Abnormal, we were designing with AI from day one. That was exciting.”
“I’ve always been very technical, but this experience helped me grow beyond my scope — to focus more on communication, collaboration, and leadership.”
“In the last six months, my manager started grooming me for a tech lead role,” he says. “That trust helped me push my limits in ways I hadn’t before.”
One moment made that shift real, but he noticed the change gradually. Teammates started asking him to weigh in on design docs earlier in the process. Not only for technical review, but also for direction. “That’s when it clicked,” he says. “I realized people were looking to me for direction, not just answers.”
With guidance from his manager, Shradheya began taking ownership of one of the Knowledge Engine Platform teams, a suite of systems designed to serve data to teams across Abnormal building detection products. One of his proudest moments was leading the development of the AD Group data platform, one of the most highly requested features from customers.
“It was the first time I was responsible for both innovation and stability,” he explains. “We had to design something that not only worked, but worked reliably for the scale of Abnormal.”
Where Leadership Meets Learning
For Shradheya, leadership at Abnormal means constantly learning from the people around him. “I work with incredibly smart and ambitious teammates,” he says. “Everyone brings strong technical skills, but what really stands out is the collaboration — design reviews, test-driven development, and constant feedback. It helps all of us raise the bar.”
These days, leadership for Shradheya often looks like running design reviews, helping teammates troubleshoot, or making sure everyone feels confident owning a piece of the system. “It’s less about telling people what to do and more about creating the right environment for them to succeed,” he says.
His manager’s coaching has been key to that growth.
“My manager doesn’t tell me what to do; he asks questions that make me think differently. That style of mentorship helps you develop your own judgment instead of just following instructions.”
That environment pushed him to see leadership not as giving direction, but as enabling others. “Being a tech lead has made me more focused on how I can help my team move faster and learn more,” he says. “It’s about creating space for others to take ownership, too.”
Turning AI Curiosity into Practice
At Abnormal, engineers are encouraged to experiment with AI as part of their daily work. For Shradheya’s team, that means exploring ways to automate workflows, speed up analysis, and improve the quality of their data systems.
That curiosity has shaped how he approaches technical challenges, especially when leading the AD Group data platform. “At first, we thought building something at that scale would take forever,” he says. “But using AI tools to test and optimize the system helped us move faster than expected.”
The result was a stable, high-performance platform that now supports multiple detection products across Abnormal’s ecosystem.
“It was one of those projects that really showed me how far we’ve come — not just technically, but in how we think about solving problems.
What Abnormal’s Culture Makes Possible
Shradheya credits much of his growth to Abnormal’s culture — one that combines autonomy with support. “There’s a lot of trust here,” he says. “Leaders give you ownership and space to figure things out, but they’re also there to help you grow when you need it.”
He describes the engineering culture as open and grounded in learning, where discussions focus on solving problems together rather than proving who’s right.
He’s also quick to point out how teamwork defines the engineering experience. “You’re surrounded by people who not only know what they’re doing but want to share what they know,” he says. “That’s what keeps work interesting — you’re always learning, always improving.”
“You’re surrounded by people who not only know what they’re doing but want to share what they know.”
As he looks ahead, Shradheya is focused on scaling both technology and people. “The next step for me is learning how to multiply my impact — not just by building systems, but by helping others lead projects of their own,” he says.
When asked what advice he’d give to new engineers, Shradheya doesn’t hesitate.
“Be curious,” he says. “If you see something that can be better, you’re trusted to fix it. Don’t wait to be asked.”
