1. What’s your leadership mantra in the fast-evolving tech landscape?
In today’s fast-evolving world, adaptability and the ability to align vision with execution is crucial for all leaders. Even as a 25-year-old company delivering at scale and driving profitability, we continue to operate with the agility and mindset of a startup. At the heart of our leadership approach is a relentless focus on customer centricity. We empower our teams to think boldly, experiment freely, and make decisions with ownership, keeping customers at the heart of everything they do. Being a marketplace business, we know that day-to-day rigour is non-negotiable. It’s this balance of big-picture thinking with hands-on execution that keeps us grounded, nimble, and future-ready.
2. How do you inspire and motivate your team during a challenging time?
At MakeMyTrip, we’ve cultivated a culture that empowers every employee to innovate and take ownership. By instilling core values of ‘being’ (Caring, Curious, and Creative), and ‘doing’ (Customer Focus, Commitment to Results, and Continuous Improvement), we encourage bold ideas and calculated risk-taking. We provide growth opportunities and financial support for skill development, and help develop a sense of ownership, with 44% of employees holding stake in the company’s growth and profitability. Through our EVP, ‘U & US – Limitless Together,’ we offer flexibility, agility, and purpose-driven work, ensuring our workforce thrives, drives innovation, and shapes MakeMyTrip’s future.
3. In an era of AI and automation, how do you see the role of human leadership evolving?
AI and automation enhance efficiency but cannot shape organizational culture. Human leadership is essential for building connections, inspiring teams, and establishing values and purpose. While technology assists in operations, it is people who define the mission and guide organizationsy. Ultimately, technology supports the journey, but humans provide the direction.
4. Tell us about a major screw-up in your career — what went wrong and what did you learn
Right after our successful IPO—where our valuation jumped from $480 million to $800 million almost overnight—we suddenly found ourselves with access to significant capital. It was an incredible high, but also a moment of vulnerability. Flush with funds and optimism, we started exploring opportunities beyond our core travel business, including ventures that had little to do with our domain expertise. In hindsight, that was a major misstep. We lost focus on what we knew best and what our customers trusted us for.
The biggest lesson? Stay true to your core. Scaling responsibly means staying aligned with your purpose and strengths. That phase taught us the importance of focus, discipline, and having the humility to course-correct before it’s too late.
5. What’s a mistake you see many young tech entrepreneurs making?
One common mistake I see among young tech entrepreneurs is rushing to build without truly understanding the consumer. Without solving a real problem, even the best tech won’t stick.
6. How do you handle failure, and how do you encourage a failure-friendly?
At MakeMyTrip, we see failures not as a setback but as part of the building process. We believe that true innovation comes from experimentation. When people are not afraid to fail, they’re more likely to think big—and that’s when real progress happens. We’ve tried to foster a culture where teams feel safe sharing missteps early, because that’s when there’s still room to pivot and course-correct. We view failure as a data point—an opportunity to ask: What didn’t work, and what can we learn from it?
7. What’s the next big disruption you foresee in the tech industry?
The next big disruption in tech is undoubtedly going to be driven by Generative AI. While the journey began some time ago, we’re only scratching the surface of its potential. At MakeMyTrip, we’ve already launched several Gen-AI-powered features, and we see this as a long-term strategic investment. This technology is incredibly powerful—not just for driving productivity, but more importantly, for transforming the customer experience. In many ways, it feels like the “smartphone moment” for our industry—where the shift isn’t incremental, but transformational.