Anshul Gupta has been with Rubrik for 6 years now leading the Saas data protection product for Rubrik which covers data protection and data security of Saas applications in Rubrik like M365, JIRA and Salesforce. After working at Goldman Sachs, 3 years in Bangalore and then 3 years in New York, Anshul was looking for a change and wanted to join a smaller company. He was very impressed with the product and the vision and this made Rubrik a standout in the list of startups he was exploring. The long term relationships he’s forged along with feeling energized when he comes in and accomplished when he leaves, is what keeps Anshul at Rubrik.
Q: Why did you join Rubrik?
A: I was actually reached out by a Rubrik recruiter multiple times for over a year but I did not interview then. I had just moved to NY and was not looking for a job change. But he was persistent, and convinced me to talk to Bipul before making a final decision.
During my conversation with Bipul, I couldn't help but feel inspired by his passion for what he does and the vision he has for the future. In fact, this same sense of passion was evident in every other Rubrik leader and interviewee I spoke with. Not only were they talented, but I also sensed a deep enthusiasm for what they do.
At the time, I had limited exposure to the data protection market, and I wasn't fully aware of Rubrik’s growth potential. That did not motivate me as much, it was rather, the remarkable individuals I had the pleasure of speaking with. Each person felt like someone I could genuinely enjoy working alongside and learn from.
Q: Rubrik is on a mission to secure the world’s data. How does our mission inspire the work you do?
A: “You guys saved my job!”, a customer once told me. He was joking but it still left me really happy. In the past 6 years, I have been part of multiple customer calls, I have seen them happy, angry, frustrated, surprised, stressed - but there was one thing common in all situations, they were confidently looking at Rubrik to help their business. In a world of growing threats and cyberattacks, to actually see us as a last line of defense, to realize that a single bug in my product can bring a business down is both scary and inspiring to produce the best quality and push boundaries.
Q: What excites you most about the future of Rubrik?
A: Rubrik is a company which constantly innovates, from changing the data protection landscape in on-prem and cloud to now shaking the cyber security space. I strongly believe this is still just the beginning. Rubrik has the data, it has a solid Engineering foundation, it is secure and is in a unique position to disrupt many markets with its innovation and execution. As excited as I feel about Rubrik continuing to grow and become a leader in cybersecurity, I feel exuberant when I think - “What’s next?”
Q: How does our overall company growth provide you with career opportunities or experiences you may not have gotten at other companies? What excites you about your career potential at Rubrik?
A: A CEO’s handbook to success changes completely every time a zero gets added to the employee count. I have seen Rubrik grow from a small startup to a big company today, a lot of things have changed in the process. Being part of it, I have learnt a lot. We have evolved, established a lot of processes, we weren’t always prepared for the growth either and learnt from our mistakes. But few things remained constant - our culture where people are a priority!
Rubrik is a pool of opportunities and the culture is such that you can just dive into the pool and take your pick. With a culture of transparency, collaborative environment and down to earth leadership, I have always felt enabled to do my best and think about what suits me and my career.
Q: At Rubrik, we strive to foster a culture of flexibility and autonomy, and encourage Rubrikans to take ownership of their work while challenging the status quo. Which RIVET Value do you identify with the most and why?
A: This is a hard one as I believe all RIVET values working together is what makes you an excellent engineer. But if I were to pick one, I would go with ‘V’. We are in a very competitive market and time to market is key, to be able to produce a high quality product with challenging timelines is what differentiates good engineers from great engineers.
Unlike the name sometimes implies, Velocity is not always about delivering as quickly as possible. It is about making quick but sound and collaborative decisions, it is about prioritizing effectively, operational excellence, high quality, effective planning and building for the long run. In a way, you cannot get V without R, I, E and T.
Q: You’ve worked for pretty large companies in the past, what is it at Rubrik that’s kept you here?
A: Rubrik is a place where I want to go to work every morning. The job challenges me more often than not, and the gratitude I get from the impact produced for our customers keeps motivating me to bring in my best. It was hard to find that in the large companies that I have worked at.
Rapid Fire Questions
Q: First job?
A: Research internship at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver.
Q: Favorite hobby?
A: Playing or watching cricket - cannot have enough of it!
Q: Favorite movie?
A: Top Gun Series
Q: Last vacation?
A: Oahu, Hawaii - Beach, mountains or city? Why not all?
Interested in innovating and advancing the Zero Trust Data Security platform? Take a look at our open positions on our engineering team here.