Puneet Agrawal

Observer
DISC Type : ci

Principal Group Eng Manager at Microsoft

Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Overview

Puneet is a Principal Group Engineering Manager at Microsoft, leading teams in AI, NLP, and Search. An alumnus of IIT Delhi, his expertise lies in building large-scale AI systems. He was instrumental in developing Bings search relevance, co-creating the chatbot Ruuh, and shaping the personality of the personal assistant, Cortana.

Outside of his core work in AI, Puneet shows a keen interest in the startup ecosystem. He actively supports emerging businesses, highlighting the journey of new founders and promoting their products. This suggests an appreciation for entrepreneurship and innovation beyond the corporate environment.

Unique fact: Puneet was one of the original creators of the personality for Microsofts personal assistant, Cortana.

Personality Overview

Value Driven

Assertive

Curious

They are generally good communicators and can be hard to convince.  They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing. They often ask many questions and rely heavily on information and documentation.

Topics They Care About

AI Search Grounding
He currently leads the team at Microsoft working on Search Grounding for copilots and is actively hiring for multiple roles in this specific domain.
Conversational AI
He co-created Ruuh, a human-like AI chatbot with over 2. 3 million users, and was a key creator of Cortana's personality, demonstrating deep expertise in dialogue systems.
Large-Scale AI Systems
Manages a team of over 30 engineers and scientists, running large-scale services like Autosuggestions for major Microsoft products with low latency requirements.

Media Appearances

Indian-origin employee's email to colleagues after disrupting Microsoft event decided to leave company. Featured in MSN

See Now

Work History

8-2022
Principal Group Eng Manager at Microsoft
3-2017 - 8-2022
Principal Engineering Manager at Microsoft
8-2008 - 2-2017
Senior Software Development Engineer at Microsoft
5-2008 - 8-2008
Student Intern at Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society
5-2007 - 7-2007
Student Intern at Yahoo

Education

2004 - 2008
BTech from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
2000 - 2004
High School from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan Vidyashram, Jaipur

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 17 Location : Hyderabad, Telangana, India Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Principal Group Eng Manager at Microsoft
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Insights For Selling To Puneet

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Ask them questions to understand their needs better while staying affable
  • Invite them for a social do but don’t rely solely on the relationship
  • Persuade objectively how your product will help them achieve their goals

DONT's

  • Don’t try to rush them into a decision, provide all necessary information first
  • Don’t be too objective but make sure to pad your storytelling with data points
  • Avoid making offhand commitments

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Puneet is

  • Clear proof of product value matters to them, followed by others' testimonials and rapport.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Puneet

  • They are practical and friendly, don't expect a clear-cut response often.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Puneet move?

  • They like to perform full analysis and can take time to make any decision.
  • Can Puneet take some risk or not?

  • They systematically evaluate all decisions and are unlikely to take many risks.

You And Puneet

Personality Compatibility


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