Q&A with Li Yan, Senior Principal Engineer TL/M, Software Development

Q. You have had a successful career at Aviatrix for nearly a decade. What drew you to join a startup company that was bootstrapped at the time?

I cannot believe I am about to celebrate my 10-year work anniversary at Aviatrix. In 2014, Sherry Wei, the founder of Aviatrix and a former Cisco manager, asked me to join her at the company. I was excited to be part of a cloud networking startup that had the potential to lead and drive the next generation of networking technologies. While I had experience at various startups throughout my career, I recognized that moving from Cisco to Aviatrix would be a pivotal moment. I knew the work would undoubtedly be challenging and demanding, but the prospect of being a founding engineer, spearheading innovations in networking, and shepherding a product from its infancy to completion would be incredibly fulfilling.

In 2014, Aviatrix launched its first product aimed at assisting customers in extending their data centers to Amazon Web Services (AWS). The following year, Microsoft Azure invited Aviatrix to their Ignite event where they showcased stateful firewall features, effectively integrating Aviatrix into the multicloud landscape. Around 2017, the introduction of AWS Transit VPC/Transit Gateway architecture marked a significant turning point. This development provided Aviatrix with an opportunity to deliver a unified and optimized network infrastructure across all cloud service providers (CSPs). Witnessing Aviatrix’s transformation from having a small customer base to growing it to an impressive 500+ enterprise customers today, has been nothing short of an extraordinary journey.

Q. I recently spoke with engineering’s leadership team. They credited you and three other female engineers for being the glue of the engineering team. Hearing this, how does this make you feel?

I appreciate the recognition. I have always believed that the heart of any successful company lies in the people—their passion, their skills, and their shared purpose. My approach to management centers around empowering engineering teams to focus on customers while collaborating as one team. With the ongoing support from our leadership team, we are able to closely engage with field support and marketing to tailor solutions that meet our customers’ needs. For example, during a private mode project, we worked closely with a large multinational payment card services customer, making swift adjustments to our design, and we landed and grew alongside the customer. We often work on a tight schedule to fulfill our commitment to customers but by dividing and conquering tasks across teams, we have won multiple new customers.

Q. What motivated you to pursue a career in software engineering and cloud networking?

My dad was an electrical engineering professor for many years at a top engineering university. It was my childhood dream to follow in his footsteps. I even attended the same university he had gone to.

Q. What guidance would you offer to young women who possess an inclination or curiosity about pursuing education or developing the necessary skillset to become a software engineer?

Much like female aviators who broke barriers in aviation, I encourage young women entering the field of software engineering to embrace technology, innovate, and empower themselves. Believe in your abilities, be passionate about the technology that you are interested in, and be willing to overcome obstacles to make the impossible possible. For those who may not know, Aviatrix means female pilot and Aviatrix’s founder, Sherry Wei, was a female entrepreneur.

Q. Prominent cloud networking figure, David Linthicum, penned an article, “Women in Cloud Computing” that explores strategies for increasing female representation in the field and shares his insights. Care to weigh in?

The statement that truly strikes a chord with me from the article is: ‘Women in the cloud: It’s no longer solely about social justice; it’s about corporate survival.” I firmly believe that companies must invest resources to encourage more women to explore cloud computing education. In doing so, we can address the shortage of cloud talent.

Q. When you are not working, how do you spend your time?

I really enjoy traveling around the world, cooking, and baking.

Q. How do you maintain work/life balance in such a demanding and fast-paced job?

I have learned to prioritize tasks and incorporate breaks, such as taking a walk. I find walking to be incredibly relaxing, and, on the flip side, many ideas have emerged during these walks.

Q. When you retire someday, how do you think you will want to spend your time?
I envision spending my time continuing with my passion of traveling and cooking, as well as volunteering to assist in senior care and learning new things.

Q. What quote or proverb inspires you?
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

Li Yan has more than a decade of experience in software engineering and has worked at numerous technology startups before Cisco. In 2014, she became a Member of Technical Staff at Aviatrix and today serves as the Senior Principal Engineer TL/M, Software Development. Connect with Li on LinkedIn.