From failing IIT twice to best-selling author: Indian-origin tech leader Priyanka Vergadia’s unconventional path to success

For many students in India, failing to secure a seat at the Indian Institutes of Technology is often seen as a defining setback. For Priyanka Vergadia, it was a deeply personal blow. She failed the IIT entrance exam twice, an experience she has described as feeling like the end of the road at the time. Yet those early disappointments did not close doors. Instead, they marked the beginning of a long and uncertain journey shaped by persistence, self-belief and steady reinvention.

More than two decades later, Vergadia is a senior leader at Microsoft, a former Google Cloud executive, a Wharton MBA graduate, a best-selling author and a TED speaker. Her career unfolded slowly, often away from elite labels or fast tracks, and was marked by financial strain, self-doubt and career pivots. Taken together, it reflects an unconventional path to success built over time rather than secured early.

IIT failures and early career setbacks

Vergadia’s early academic years unfolded under the weight of the exam-driven culture, where IIT admission is treated as a benchmark of worth. After failing twice, she enrolled in another engineering college, carrying disappointment and uncertainty about what lay ahead. Watching peers move forward while she recalibrated her plans reinforced doubts that would linger for years.

After completing her engineering degree in India, Vergadia decided to pursue graduate studies in the United States. The move came with financial stress and uncertainty. She struggled to secure education loans and arrived in a new country with no professional network. Internship season proved difficult, and the pressure of looming loan repayments added to the strain.

Her entry into the US tech industry was modest. Vergadia began her career as a quality assurance engineer at a small startup. While others progressed more quickly into high-visibility roles, she questioned whether she truly belonged. Instead of stepping away, she gradually moved into customer-facing engineering roles, where she found purpose in solving practical business problems.

A key shift came when Vergadia transitioned into developer advocacy and strategy roles. These positions allowed her to blend technical skills with communication, learning and community building. By sharing knowledge openly and working on zero-to-one initiatives, she carved out a niche that aligned with both her strengths and interests.

In 2017, Google recruited Vergadia, marking a turning point in her career. She went on to lead developer advocacy initiatives and product launches with global reach. In 2024, she joined Microsoft to lead developer strategy for go-to-market efforts, working on initiatives with a multi-billion-dollar impact.

Redefining success beyond early labels

Alongside her corporate career, Vergadia earned an MBA from Wharton, became a published best-selling author and took the TED stage. Yet her core message remains consistent. Success, she argues, is not determined by early wins or elite credentials alone. It is shaped by consistency, resilience and the willingness to keep going when outcomes are uncertain.

Her story challenges the idea that a single exam or early failure defines a career. Instead, it offers a broader reminder that progress often follows non-linear paths, and that belief in oneself can matter long before external validation arrives.