These 5 tech execs successfully made career pivots
Axiom's CEO advised leveraging transferrable skills while others recommended leaning into discomfort.
Some executives also advised collecting information before making a change.
Making a career pivot can be intimidating since it usually requires stepping into unfamiliar territory.
Despite the challenge, career transitions are top of mind for many Americans. A Glassdoor community survey from earlier this year found that 50% of professionals were planning to pivot in 2025, and 32% were considering it.
We spoke to five executives at tech companies, including Google and Salesforce. All of them made at least one pivot on the way to becoming a tech leader, and some have made multiple career changes over the years.
Here's how they transformed their careers, and the advice they would give to others:
Axiom CEO Tejpaul Bhatia
Before leading a private space company, Axiom CEO Tejpaul Bhatia had a "whole other chapter" to his life.
Bhatia started his career in product and international strategy at ESPN, then worked as a startup founder for 10 years, and eventually went on to lead Google's external strategic narrative on remote work for the office of the CIO.
Bhatia said that he wrongly assumed the space industry was for rocket scientists or billionaires. He was neither of those things, but he had transferrable skills.
He said that if you want to pursue a career in space from another industry, "don't assume there isn't a role for you. That's exactly what I did in my head."
Bhatia said the biggest transferable skill he brought from Big Tech to space was entrepreneurship. He said you don't necessarily have to launch your own startup. It's more about having the ability to navigate uncertainty and solve problems independently.
Google Cloud exec Yasmeen Ahmad
Google Cloud's Yasmeen Ahmad started her career in genomics and life sciences. She said the biggest challenge she experienced in her career was accepting the unknown.
"As humans, I think we struggle sometimes with the unknown," the product and GTM executive at Google Cloud said, adding that she wondered where she would work after getting a Ph.D in life sciences.
She said she always felt slightly out of place wherever she was because she didn't follow a traditional path into Big Tech. Looking back, though, she said she learned to enjoy the journey and being the "odd person in a new space."
"It's helped me maybe have a bigger or a broader perspective on thinking through a strategic lens, thinking through the product lens, thinking through the customer lens," Ahmad said.
By starting in academia and taking on roles in sales and finance prior to coming to Google, she said she was able to get a unique perspective. Ahmad said she now encourages those in the technology space to explore across industries by using those skills to unlock value.
Google VP Mira Lane
Google vice president of Tech and Society Mira Lane started her career as a software developer and went on to create an AI prototyping lab that explores the impact of tech innovation on society. Now she runs a team of professionals with backgrounds in filmmaking, product design, visual arts, philosophy, and science.
"For people that are wanting to pivot, I would pivot with information," the vice president of Tech and Society and founder of Google's Envisioning Studio told Business Insider.
That includes talking to other people in the industry, watching YouTube videos, and trying out internships, Lane said.
Cisco EVP Liz Centoni
Liz Centoni thought she would be at Cisco for three years max when she joined in 2000. Now she's tried about a dozen roles at the company.
Centoni told Business Insider that she recommends job seekers lean into their network to find out more about what others do and broaden their view on the job market.
"Take advantage of the network that you have around," Centoni said. "People who can connect you with different things, open up opportunities, mentors, sponsors."
Centoni also suggests being open-minded with the search. She said the ability to be flexible and curious gave her more opportunities in her career and eventually allowed her to explore executive leadership.
The Cisco executive also warns job seekers to brace for discomfort when trying out new roles. As someone who has juggled with a desire to learn new things and be confident in her work, she admitted that even after several months in a new position, she questioned her decision and felt more like an intern than an experienced professional.
While uncomfortable at first, Centoni said those roles allowed her to keep learning, and her biggest career regret was not pivoting sooner.
Salesforce EVP Patrick Stokes
Patrick Stokes has been with Salesforce for over a decade — but he's had a number of roles during that time. The executive vice president of product and industries marketing told Business Insider he feels uncomfortable when he's not learning.
When deciding on a career change, though, Stokes said he finds that often people "think too narrowly" about switching roles. For example, they may only want to change roles if they feel like they're moving up on the organization chart.
"It's really hard to find that sometimes," Stokes said.
Stokes said he likes to play chess, and there's a concept in the game called a "gambit," where you make what appears to be a bad move, but it's actually designed to get a reaction from an opponent. Stokes said that's how he likes to think about his career changes — seemingly risky in the moment, but strategic long term.
"When I first went into marketing, a lot of my peers in product were like, 'Why are you going to marketing?' And I'm like, 'Just wait. It'll be fine. I'm gonna be great,'" Stokes said.
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