“AI is a contact sport,” Aparna Chennapragada, Microsoft’s chief product officer for AI experiences, told the audience at the ninth annual Better Together summit last week. “When there’s a massive technology shift, you want to be at the center of the action.”
Chennapragada was the keynote speaker at this event, aimed at empowering women leaders across Microsoft and the broader Bay Area. She addressed an audience of more than 230 women from Microsoft and beyond, drawing comparisons—and contrasts—between AI’s propulsive power to transform and similar changes amidst the internet shift and the mobile shift.
Chennapragada observed that the AI transformation puts new emphasis on soft skills, the strengths traditionally treated as feminine and in contrast with more “directive” managing styles. “What I’m finding is the folks who are able to get more out of the AI agents are the ones that are able to steer and coach, who have high expectations, but also offer high support.”
The Women at Microsoft (WAM) employee resource group and Better Together leadership team hosted the event at Microsoft’s Mountain View campus. Microsoft’s Shaili Desai and Cheri Devlin conceived of Better Together in 2018. Desai remembers returning from maternity leave looking for a space like this. Unable to find one, she and Devlin decided to build it.
“It wasn’t born out of a strategic plan; it really was born out of a need,” said Desai. “Partners, customers, Microsoft, the broader Silicon Valley ecosystem—we really can do better together.”
While the event has grown over the years, its theme of bringing women together to support one another has remained constant. Events like this are critical to helping women advance to more senior leadership positions, said Devlin. “It’s an integral part of our culture here at Microsoft. The whole Mean Girls mentality has no space here.”
This year, the agenda focused on “women, AI, and the future of leadership.” Devlin moderated an executive panel with Susan De La Vega, Korn Ferry senior vice president; Holly Proctor, FranklinCovey president; Aastha Gupta, Meta vice president of product; and Liz Kokoska, Huntress chief marketing officer. PwC principal Stephanie Mosticchio and tech and AI thought leader Maria Fernandez Guajardo also spoke.
Hearing about so many paths to success is inspiring, said Rachna Visal, a WAM board leader who helped plan the conference. “The more leaders and success stories we can talk about on this stage, the more inspiration there is for women.” She also emphasized the event’s powerful networking opportunities.
This is the fourth year on the event’s planning committee for Meagan Weiss, a manager in Microsoft’s AI business processing group. “So many of us are used to being the only woman in the room,” she said. Representation is especially vital for women early in their career. “It’s important for them to see us as leaders.”
Attending for the second time, Microsoft business leader Sonya Weaver-Johnson appreciated the chance to meet professionals at all stages of their careers and discuss topics like motherhood and AI’s specific impact on women. “I’m leaving this event so inspired about all the wonderful things we can do together.”
