I grew up and did my degree in Kerala. I worked mostly with Tamil and fellow Malayali folks. I never had to care much about diversity at all. Then Microsoft happened! Suddenly, I’m working with people who have totally different life experiences, expectations, and ways of working. Initially I didn’t seem to grasp the extent of diversity in our team. I’m slowly starting to understand the extent and I’m going to share some of my thoughts.

When I started working for causematch in 2018 which is an israeli company, I met with the CEO of the company. He told me something that stuck: When you are invited to a dinner, in some cultures, not finishing the food on the table is rude, while in others finishing everything is an insult! It made me realise how much hidden meaning lies beneath the surface of our interactions.

I have been thinking about respect. Does it mean the same thing in the US as it does in India? Is it the same with Chinese colleagues? Is it about formality, like I learned at home? Or bold honesty, like some American colleagues seem to prefer, and I prefer too? Different generations have different understanding of respect. There are no easy answers to this, and there is certainly no user-manual available.

At first, honestly, it was overwhelming. But then I saw how those differences make our team stronger. For example, If you look at the PRs in our codebase, US colleagues seem to prefer a lot of structure, while Indian colleagues focus on practicality. It is not just code, even for spending money, Indians are very cautious and practical, which is why some products that are successful in the US might not sell in India. The good thing about all these is that we have different approaches to solving a problem. All we need is a little open-mindedness to understand what everything means to everyone.

Tech is becoming more global by the day. The future isn't just about coding skills, it's about working alongside people who think radically differently than you do. It's a challenge, sure, but also an incredible opportunity to learn, to grow, and perhaps to build something that truly serves a whole world, not just one corner of it.