Hemant Virmani

Friend. Mentor. Fun-loving technologist. Lifelong learner.

journey

Jan 2026 till now

I'm a builder, a problem solver, and a lifelong tech enthusiast. Over 15+ years in engineering leadership, I've built and launched cloud-native systems for over a decade and led science and ML teams for 6 years.

My story was featured in Business Insider's as-told-to series — read it on Yahoo Finance or the original on Business Insider.

Today, I'm focused on deliberate self-improvement: sharpening my thinking, deepening my skills, and building better habits — one intentional step at a time.

Jul 2021 - Jan 2026

At Amazon's Bellevue, WA office, I was Head of Engineering for Customs and Compliance at Bellevue, WA where I led a layered engineering and science org for Customs and Compliance in Amazon Global Logistics. Built a new science team in 2024 for ML/GenAI work on HTS classification and network optimization, and expanded customs filing across the UK, EU, and Japan. Launched Seller infrastrucre for Amazon Haul as part of expanding Remote Fulfilment Business.

Jul 2014 - Jul 2021

At Amazon's Hyderabad, India office, I led in-person seller identity verification to reduce fraudulent onboarding and re-architected Amazon's de facto secure document storage system for scale and reliability.
I also led science and engineering for document extraction and forgery detection in seller identity verification workflows, work that later became AWS Textract's AnalyzeID API, and built a real-time transportation monitoring platform handling 10K+ TPS.

Dec 2002 - Jul 2014

Spent over a decade at Adobe, Noida, building and scaling PS/ PDF/ XPS/ Print-publishing platforms. Served across roles from Member of Technical Staff to Senior Engineering Manager. Led a research team to launch Adobe LeanPrint, co-authored six US patents, shipped a PS/PDF-to-XPS converter in print pipelines, and delivered the long-awaited Multiple Undo feature in Adobe FrameMaker, among other platform and product improvements.

2000 - 2002

Software Engineer at startup Zenax Technologies (formerly, Cynosure Media Solutions) at Noida, building 0-to-1 products across Linux and web stacks, including NAS virtualization for US partners and a Linux multitasking server messaging framework.

academia

2006 - 2008

Completed M.S. in Software Systems from BITS Pilani through Distance Education while working full-time at Adobe. It helped me deepen my systems knowledge and satisfy my curiosity by going deeper into how software systems work.

2001 - 2003

Completed M.Sc. in Information Technology from Punjab Technical University through Distance Education while working full-time to build a stronger IT foundation early in my career.

1996 - 2000

At Delhi College of Engineering (B.E.), I built an engineering mindset for structured problem-solving. Although I majored in Civil Engineering, I kept exploring software, learned programming in parallel, and used that foundation to build a long-term technology career.

core beliefs

Every challenge has a solution with the right perspective.
Mentorship accelerates collective growth.
Continuous learning is non-negotiable.
Family provides grounding and purpose.
Cultural exploration broadens understanding.
Smaller teams move faster with fewer meetings and clearer decisions.

what I love

Simple walks and hikes through Cascade greenery.
Exploring cuisines, especially Indian favorites like dal makhani, dosa, kadi pakora, and Hyderabadi biryani.
Discovering hidden local shops.
The color blue.

family and inspirations

Parents in India: a constant source of resilience and kindness.
Wife and daughter: my anchors and greatest joy.
Inspiration from Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his courage.
A soft spot for He-Man from childhood memories.
Favorite masterpiece: Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

connect and explore

DeskGenie - AI productivity companion experiments
My Mermaid editor - mermaid editor for self use
Ctrl-Alt-Vault - vault of useful info
Daughter's portfolio - featuring her arts and photography
Previous website (archived)

closing note

Life's greatest adventures are within our own four walls, but the best stories come from stepping outside them.