Tech founders embrace AI and coding to stay ahead of the curve

India’s tech founders are diving deep into artificial intelligence and coding, trading leisure time for hands-on learning to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving software landscape. Leaders across the SaaS ecosystem are dedicating weekends and late nights to AI tools, model testing, and code experimentation.

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Chargebee Co-Founder Krish Subramanian spends his weekends working with AI-native editors like Cursor to understand tech changes firsthand. Atomicwork’s Vijay Rayapati squeezes in coding amid investor meetings, while Kovai.co’s Saravana Kumar took a three-month AI deep dive to reshape his product strategy and go-to-market (GTM) playbook.

At Rocketlane, Vignesh Girishankar notes that AI has disrupted conventional development timelines, requiring all product managers to be AI-savvy.

This shift is more than curiosity—it’s strategic. Founders are decoding AI workflows, exploring tools like Clay and Midjourney, and aligning teams around technical fluency. With investors now valuing AI depth during pitches, founder-led innovation is a key differentiator.

Hands-on AI engagement also sharpens hiring and improves collaboration across tech teams. As Exotel’s Shivakumar Ganesan put it, understanding AI—even without coding—is essential leadership in today’s market.

The new tech leader isn’t just steering the ship—they’re building it, debugging it, and future-proofing it through relentless learning.