Chinthakunta Sumanth Kumar Reddy is an SDE 3 at Blinkit. He joined us in March 2021 and has since helped us build a resilient application platform at Blinkit. He currently works as a part of Software Resilience Engineering (SRE)–enabling scalable database migrations for Blinkit’s applications.
Tell us about your background and your journey in Blinkit so far.
I have always been curious to learn new things and don’t have barriers as long as I can engage with the task. Hailing from a small village in Andhra Pradesh, I have travelled across several cities (Fun fact: My village and family share the same name). I have been working with the SRE team for almost two years. I love the no-nonsense work culture here, which allowed me to raise PR from day 2 in the company.
Why did you choose to work in tech? What drove you?
Due to my background in the Electronics branch, I have always been fascinated by how the physical transistors click and clack with seemingly intangible software bits. There is a sense of excitement when things spring into action, and I think if there’s an equivalent of magic in our world, it will be Tech.
What excites you the most about your field?
The ability to build resilient software excites me. Imagine seeing a traffic spike and everything scaling up to take the load and winding down when the traffic calms down, all on its own–It’s magical, to say the least.
While solving a problem, what is the principle you always adhere to?
When hit with a problem, take a step back and think through it. Sometimes, it isn’t what it appears to be. Problem-solving is all about perspectives.
What immediate challenges are we trying to solve in the instant commerce space?
Efficiency and localisation. With delivery timelines moving from days to minutes, there is significantly lesser room for errors. Also, since we are nearer to customers, localisation is the key. For example, a top seller in one area might be utterly irrelevant in its neighbouring one. Little details like these can pose a massive challenge in the big picture.
What are your views on the future of technology in your domain?
I am beyond thrilled to be in DevOps and SRE at the moment. If you see how the world is changing, many more things are coming online: your fridge, your TV, brand new AI like chatGPT, your webcams, and so on. A lot of traditional merchants are onboarding themselves on the Internet. There is an explosion of data mined and needs processing. I think this is the perfect time, if there is one, to be in this domain.
What do you love the most about your role at Blinkit?
Apart from the joy of working with motivated individuals in our teams, I thoroughly enjoy the privilege of making a difference with my work — literally and figuratively. As an SRE, I get to see the larger view of things and improve them.
What would you say to a youngster interested in working at Blinkit?
The same advice I would give to my younger self. It doesn’t matter what or how much you know or your background; the world is changing rapidly every minute and day. What and how fast you can learn new things is more important than what you already know. Blinkit did–when we moved from delivery in days to delivery in minutes.
How do you strike the life-work balance?
I generally take a walk in the park after a tiring day. I play Mobile Legends: Bang Bang or watch some series in my free time.
[Sumanth is an SDE 3 at Blinkit. You can follow him on Linkedin. Say hello to us on Twitter or follow us on LinkedIn.]
