OMSCS Buzz S6E3: Vaibhav Jain- Engineering with a Global Mindset
On this episode, host Tanmay Shah chats with Vaibhav Jain. He’s a Tech Lead who’s built high-impact systems across India, Singapore, and the Netherlands. From scaling logistics with machine learning to architecting low-latency crypto fraud detection, he’s done it all while leading teams across multiple time zones. But he’s not just building systems; he’s building people. Vaibhav is an OMSCS alum, a mentor to over 40 engineers, and has conducted senior interviews for tech giants like Palantir and Coinbase. If you want to know what it takes to operate with a global mindset, this is the episode for you.
TIMESTAMPS-
(00:00) - Cold Intro
(01:50) Involved in competitive programming, preparation for software engineering career
(05:08) Moved from India to Singapore to explore, thought process, cultural differences
(08:37) Differences in ways of working in Singapore between India startup and Singapore "scale-up"
(11:45) How to motivate and persuade people when people might be resistant
(14:38) "Leading from the front" and building teams that work together
(17:50) Differences between junior and senior engineers
(20:32) Moving to technical side, differences between real-time and event-driven
(25:45) move to Amsterdam to work for crypto company
(29:00) System design approach switching from tracking parcels to tracking finance
(32:01) How agentic tools like Claude Code are changing the way fraud is perpetrated
(35:01) What is good enough in software development related to fiduciary duties
(38:58) Where does the OMSCS program come into the picture, reasons for attending
(42:41) How does OMSCS keep up with the needs of the global audience
(44:45) Rapid fire questions: counties visited, programming languages, travel, hiking, and more
(47:48) Closing thoughts: How OMSCS has been helpful and bridging gaps
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EDITOR – Jim Lohse