Q&A with Shanshan Xu, Principal Architect TL/M, Software Development

Q. You have had a successful career at Aviatrix since 2017. What attracted you to take the leap from Cisco to a startup?

I worked at Cisco for nearly a decade. The technology was very mature. I grew increasingly unchallenged. Nothing excited me. It was time for a change, and I sought new opportunities. At that time, cloud was becoming such a hot area and there were more opportunities sprouting up. While at Cisco, I knew Sherry Wei, a very respected and talented engineering manager, who left to start Aviatrix in 2014. I did not have the opportunity to collaborate with her during my tenure at Cisco. However, I was acquainted with a software engineer [Li Yan] who left Cisco and went to work at Aviatrix. I had several conversations with Li and ended up landing a job at the company. I was extremely excited to join Aviatrix. As a startup company, the work style was refreshing and offered boundless potential to learn, explore, and grow. I learned so much during those early years and that continues today.

Q. The engineering leadership acknowledges you and three other female engineers as the cohesive force within the engineering team. Hearing this, how does this make you feel?

I am happy to hear that. It is a testament that they recognize and value my contributions. The engineering leadership team has consistently been supportive of me and the extended engineering group. Knowing that they fully trust my judgement and allow me to take charge of many core areas, makes it even more rewarding.

Q. What is your academic background and how did you get into software engineering?

I earned a BS in Precision Instrumentation in Beijing and as the U.S. offers the best graduate education in the world, I left China to come here to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering. After earning my Ph.D. in 2006, I quickly realized that I longed to solve real problems rather than conducting research in the academic field. It was at that time, that I changed my career trajectory and ventured into the high-tech industry.

Q. What advice would you give to young women aspiring to pursue a career in software engineering?

I would tell them to be confident. Know that girls are equally as good as boys in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). There is no area designated just for boys. Work hard as your future success depends on the effort you put in today.

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 men to women ratio in cloud computing still has a way to go but we are going in the right direction. In my opinion, tech companies, especially in the Bay Area, are very friendly to women. There are many successful female engineers enjoying fruitful careers today, including myself.

Q. What have you enjoyed most about working at Aviatrix?

Cloud networking brings a lot of technical challenges and I enjoy working to solve them. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when my team and I deliver a feature that solves customers’ problems. Aviatrix offers an open and collaborative environment. I have built such wonderful friendships with many of my colleagues. Aviatrix has a unique opportunity in the cloud networking market, offering true multicloud networking and security that no other vendor is able to deliver. I have tremendous faith in our leadership team and that they are taking the company in the right direction. Working at a cloud networking company also has other benefits. It gives me the flexibility to work from anywhere as long as there is internet connection. I am not bound to an office or lab, and I do not need to worry about equipment, commuting, etc.

Q. What are your favorite things to do outside of work?

I enjoy spending time with my two kids—one is in middle school, the other in elementary school. We love going skiing every year and enjoy playing video games together. I try to influence them to like STEM, but so far, I have not been successful. Maybe that will change in the future.

Q. What motto resonates with you and serves as your inspiration?

Now is better than never.

Shanshan Xu has served as Principal Architect TL/M, Software Development since joining in 2017. Prior to Aviatrix, she spent a decade at Cisco as a software engineer. She resides in San Jose, California with her family. Connect with her on LinkedIn.