Vaibhav Kharat

Vaibhav Kharat

VP of Engineering @ Flymachine

About

I’ve built payment systems processing $1M+ daily orders at Amazon, scaled engineering teams from 15 to 100+ at Audible with 99.99% uptime across 8 countries, and reduced infrastructure costs 50% ($900K) while improving velocity 25% as VP Engineering. I specialize in turning engineering organizations into revenue engines—driving conversion, monetization, and platform leverage at scale. I build product and platform engineering teams that ship and scale. At Amazon, I was a founding engineer on Marketplace and Payments, building cart, checkout, and payment infrastructure that powered billions in GMV. At Audible, I owned ordering and post-order systems across all devices, led platform unification across 8 countries with zero incidents, and scaled the organization from 15 to 100+ engineers across 10+ countries. I co-founded Gigs Live (YC W21), scaled it to $90K MRR and 5K concurrent streams, and it was acquired by Flymachine. I optimize for business outcomes over technical elegance. I measure success in revenue impact, conversion rates, user growth, and cost efficiency—not just uptime or velocity. The right platform architecture creates leverage: one engineer can do what used to take ten, and ten can do what used to take one hundred. I’m particularly focused on marketplaces and two-sided platforms, fintech and payments infrastructure, AI-enabled and agentic systems, and scaling engineering organizations and leaders. I’m exploring VP, Head, and Director-level roles where engineering is a core driver of growth, revenue, and product differentiation.

Country

United States

City

New York City Metropolitan Area

Industry

Computer Software

Skill

System Dynamics, Business Analytics / AI ML, Global Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Quality Engineering, Communication, Analytical Skills, Quantitative Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Negotiation, Jenkins, Ansible, Docker, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Leadership, Management, Product Management, Data Engineering, Cloud Computing, Software Project Management

Experience

Flymachine

VP of Engineering

Flymachine

LinkedIn
2022-1 - Present · 4 yrs 9 mos

- Orchestrated a globally distributed mobile engineering team to develop and launch an iOS app in just 3 months, optimizing development processes with the aid of data analysis tools and agile methodologies. - Achieved a 60% reduction in AWS expenses by implementing data-driven optimizations, and significantly lowered onshore and offshore development costs by 25% and 70%, respectively, through intelligent workload management and automation. - Spearheaded go-to-market strategies, budget allocations, and technology/vendor selections, improving product delivery efficiency by over 50% through the use of predictive analytics and process automation. - Led a 24-member cross-functional team to attain 15K concurrent streams on a virtual live music platform, leveraging data insights to enhance streaming performance and user engagement.

Gigs Live

Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder

Gigs Live

LinkedIn
2020-5 - 2022 · 1 yr

New York City Metropolitan Area

- Co-founded and led as CTO of a Y-Combinator-backed startup, steering it to a successful acquisition within two years. Raised $800K in funding, achieved a Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) of $90K, and secured a spot in Y-Combinator's Winter '21 batch, leveraging data-driven strategies for growth. - Rapidly scaled a cross-disciplinary team from zero to 30 in just 3 months, managing a 30-person team across technology, operations, and quality. Implemented Agile methodologies and data insights to develop a high-traffic virtual live music platform, supporting up to 5K concurrent streams. - Spearheaded the development of a subscription-based Live Streaming and Video-on-Demand platform, delivering 4K/60fps HLS video. Instituted robust product, UX, and development processes, launching diverse applications across web, mobile, and OTT platforms within a tight six-month timeline and budget, utilizing AI-driven optimization tools to enhance video delivery. - Focused relentlessly on customer experience, achieving a consistent 90+ Net Promoter Score (NPS). Introduced customer feedback-driven features, supported by machine learning insights, significantly enhancing user engagement and contributing to the sale of over 3,000 tickets within six months of the company's founding. - Expertly negotiated contracts with key industry players, hosting 30 concerts featuring top artists and generating $300K in revenue. Designed and developed innovative video CMS and in-video product placement solutions, leveraging advanced technologies like AWS Rekognition, Media Tailor, and AI-driven analytics.

Audible

Director of Software Engineering

Audible

LinkedIn
2014 - 2020 · 6 yrs

Newark, NJ

- Spearheaded quarterly themed hackathons to drive innovation and technical skill enhancement, while scaling teams from scratch to over 80 members, including promoting tech leads to managerial roles. Established a culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and high emotional intelligence (EQ) across teams. - Led the development of membership and subscription products contributing to 70% of Audible's revenue. Collaborated with diverse teams to create customer-centric workflows and applications, significantly enhancing user experience on Kindle, Fire tablets, and Alexa Show devices. - Orchestrated the migration of Audible websites across six countries to a unified platform with zero downtime. Ensured GDPR, CCPA, and EU-MFA compliance, setting a standard later adopted by over 30 Amazon teams. Improved operational efficiency through the resolution of recurring issues and implementation of scalable, low-latency services. - Recognized as a change agent, managing numerous system upgrades, decommissions, and complex migrations. Transitioned 20+ services and websites to Native AWS, and led the development of the high-performance Audible App, achieving top fluidity and start times on the FireOS platform. - Directed mobile engineering teams to build innovative features within the Audible App, focusing on immersion reading, accessibility, and household sharing. Advocated for customer-centric development, integrating customer feedback into business priorities and product enhancements.

Amazon

Software Engineering Manager, Payments

Amazon

LinkedIn
2012 - 2014 · 2 yrs

Bangalore Urban, Karnataka, India

- Spearheaded development teams to capitalize on a $40B peer-to-peer and business-to-customer payments opportunity across key markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, demonstrating a keen ability to navigate and lead in diverse and competitive global environments. - Orchestrated a rapid and efficient migration of multiple international websites (U.S., UK, Germany, France) to a cutting-edge proprietary Java framework within a tight 3-month timeline, leveraging a lean team structure. This initiative resulted in a significant 65% reduction in operational load, showcasing exceptional project management and technical acumen. - Led a 13-member development team in the strategic launch of Amazon Local Register, directly competing with Square in the $46 billion POS market. This move exemplified a deep understanding of market trends and the ability to effectively lead teams in high-stakes, competitive environments. - Demonstrated agile leadership and resource optimization by successfully managing complex technology projects with minimal resources, including a notable project executed by just one engineer and two interns, highlighting an ability to achieve maximum impact with streamlined teams. - Excelled in coordinating cross-functional teams, fostering collaboration and innovation in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives, significantly contributing to the company's growth and market positioning.

Amazon

Senior Software Engineer, Marketplace / Trust & Safety / Payments

Amazon

LinkedIn
2000 - 2012 · 12 yrs

Seattle, Washington, United States

- Conducted over 1,000 technical interviews, mentoring high-potential developers, with four advancing to Amazon's Principal Engineer role within 6 years. Spearheaded organizational growth, harmonizing individual, team, and organizational goals, leading to the promotion of over 100 team members. - Pioneered the integration of third-party seller offerings on Amazon's Product Detail pages, significantly contributing to Amazon's Third-Party Marketplace securing 38% of the U.S. e-commerce market share. Designed white-label solutions for major retailers like Nordstrom and The Gap as a founding member of Amazon Marketplace. - Directed the SOX compliance initiative, ensuring legal and regulatory adherence. Implemented worldwide seller scoring algorithms and collaborated on machine learning projects in Amazon's Fraud department, achieving a 50% YoY reduction in bad debt. - Created and launched a fundraising widget that raised $6.8M for the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami relief, setting a precedent for Amazon's future disaster relief efforts. This initiative demonstrated a unique blend of technological innovation and social responsibility.

Education

MIT Sloan School of Management

MIT Sloan School of Management

LinkedIn
Y Combinator

Y Combinator

LinkedIn
2020 - 2021 · 1 yr

https://www.ycombinator.com/verify/tlp7hkwv7ckeqo2k

University of Cincinnati

University of Cincinnati

LinkedIn

Industrial Engineering

University of Mumbai

University of Mumbai

LinkedIn

Mechanical Engineering

Vaibhav Kharat's Contact Information

Email

******@***.com

Phone

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