Success in engineering—and in life—often boils down to one thing: working on hard problems with the right people. In a recent video podcast with EO, Karthik, CEO and founder of Sift, shared his journey from building reusable rockets at SpaceX to founding a company that helps engineers make sense of complexity in modern machines. Along the way, the conversation offered practical advice for navigating the early stages of a career, insights into leadership, and a look at how Sift is scaling the principles he learned at SpaceX.
Early-Career Advice: Depth Over Prestige
For those just starting their careers, Karthik’s message is clear: focus on learning from the best, not chasing status.
- Don’t start a company too early: Skip the “learn by doing” mantra of many entrepreneurs and instead immerse yourself in an environment where you can see what excellence looks like in practice.
- Prestige doesn’t equal learning: A company’s reputation isn’t always reflective of the learning opportunities it provides. Look for places solving tough problems with momentum you can build on.
- Mastery requires time: It’s tempting to hop between roles, but Karthik recommends staying long enough to work deeply on challenging problems. Expertise and first-principles thinking come from years of effort—not a string of short-term gigs.
Lessons from SpaceX: Think Faster, Move Smarter
At SpaceX, Karthik honed his engineering philosophy by working on some of the most complex problems in aerospace. Three principles stand out:
- Break it down to first principles: SpaceX’s success was rooted in constantly challenging assumptions. When reusable rockets were dismissed as “impossible,” the team pushed forward by asking “Why?”.
- Operate with urgency: Progress isn’t made by waiting for the perfect conditions. SpaceX thrived on high iteration rates and rapid decision-making, avoiding unnecessary delays.
- Trust ground truth: Drawing inspiration from NASA’s Apollo program, SpaceX leadership prioritized direct insights from engineers, cutting through the noise of hierarchical decision-making.
Building Sift: Scaling What Works
Sift was born out of Karthik’s desire to take the lessons from SpaceX and make them accessible to engineers tackling complex systems in other industries.
- Customer-first product design: Sift’s first customer, Parallel Systems, shaped the product’s early roadmap by working closely with the team. Embedding with customers allowed Sift to rapidly iterate on real-world needs.
- Mission-driven focus: Sift aims to power a meaningful percentage of the physical world—planes, trains, drones, and more—with tools that improve safety, reliability, and operational efficiency.
- From rockets to observability: Karthik applied SpaceX’s emphasis on collaboration, fault tolerance, and urgency to Sift’s approach, ensuring these principles guide the company’s growth.
Leadership: It’s All About the Team
For Karthik, the foundation of any great company is its people. Building and leading a high-performing team requires discipline and humility:
- Invest in the right people: Seek out team members who challenge you, align with the mission, and are deeply committed to success.
- Don’t settle: Maintaining a high talent bar is crucial. Avoid hires or advisors who aren’t fully invested in your vision.
- Iterate on decisions: Hiring isn’t always perfect, but learning quickly and making adjustments is better than sticking with the wrong call.
The Universal Challenge of Hard Problems
Whether it’s scaling a startup, building rockets, or solving software issues, Karthik emphasizes that the principles of tackling hard problems remain the same. The key is working with smart teams who aren’t afraid to ask tough questions and dig deep into the issues that matter.
The Takeaway
Karthik’s journey reflects a career spent embracing complexity and turning it into opportunity. From SpaceX’s first-principles approach to Sift’s mission of simplifying modern machines, his lessons are a class in solving the problems others avoid.
For anyone interested in high-stakes problem-solving, Karthik’s story offers valuable insights into what it takes to succeed. Tune into the full podcast to hear more about his journey and how Sift is shaping the future of mission-critical engineering.
