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Description
On this episode of The Innovators Playbook Podcast, host Seth Narayanan sits down with Ankush Goyal, CPTO of Fabric. From growing up in Delhi to leading startups and scaled enterprises, Ankush shares his journey across B2C and B2B SaaS, what it means to build AI-native systems, and why product and technology leadership is converging. This is a candid conversation about disruption, adaptability, and the future of commerce technology.
Key Takeaways
From Delhi to Purdue: Learning Under Constraints
Growing up in 1990s Delhi without computers or internet, Ankush developed resourcefulness and first-principle thinking. At Purdue, his computer engineering degree gave him empathy for systems design and the fundamentals of how machines work, skills he would carry throughout his career.
Orbitz and the Lessons of Scale
At Orbitz, Ankush learned what it meant to build and operate at global scale. From funnel optimization to early machine learning deployments, the experience showed him how data and scale shape consumer experiences and technology decisions.
RelateIQ and the Birth of AI-Native CRM
Joining RelateIQ in 2014, Ankush helped build an AI-native CRM long before the term was popular. By automating workflows instead of layering on rules, the company challenged traditional CRMs and was eventually acquired by Salesforce, where its technology still powers AgentForce today.
Narvar and the Realities of Commerce
As head of R&D at Narvar, Ankush spent six years building post-purchase platforms used by the world’s largest retailers. He saw firsthand the razor-thin margins, the complexity of fulfillment and returns, and the opportunities for AI to make commerce more efficient and customer-centric.
Fabric and the End of Bolt-On AI
At Fabric, Ankush is pioneering an AI-native commerce operating system. He argues that legacy platforms relying on static rules or “chatbox add-ons” are relics, and that the future belongs to systems that dynamically learn, adapt, and act in real-time against business goals.
The Convergence of Product and Technology Leadership
Ankush believes the old division between product and engineering is collapsing. In an AI-first world, leaders must blend technical depth with product vision to build systems that not only work but win in the market.
Broad T Skills and the Future of Engineers
According to Ankush, coders alone won’t thrive in the AI era. Engineers must become “broad T” deep in one specialty but fluent across customer needs, business models, and product design. It’s this breadth, coupled with adaptability, that will define future leaders.
Advice for the Next Generation
His message is blunt: become AI-native or be left behind. For young engineers and professionals, Ankush emphasizes experimenting across AI models, writing evals, and cultivating broad skills alongside deep expertise. Adaptability, he insists, is the only constant.
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This Episode's Guest
Ankush Goyal
Ankush Goyal is a technology and product leader with deep experience in scaling modern software platforms. As the Chief Technology & Product Officer at fabric, he leads the development of the company’s AI driven order management system, helping global retailers orchestrate omnichannel commerce operations in a modular, scalable way. Before joining fabric, Ankush served as Senior VP of R&D at Narvar, driving cross functional engineering, product, and customer engineering teams. Over his career, he’s blended hands on engineering leadership with product strategy, focusing on architectures that handle high scale, resiliency, and API first designs. Deeply versed in microservices, cloud infrastructure, and real time systems, he’s passionate about building teams and processes that can deliver on ambitious product visions. On this episode, Ankush shares his journey shifting between roles in product and engineering, how he manages alignment across tech and product orgs, and his strategies for scaling architecture and innovation in a fast growing commerce platform.
