Nidhi Kurani, is a Sr. Manager, Technical Program Manager at Niantic Labs Company, where every day she leads hundreds of team members to shape the future of AR mobile gaming. She has been the force behind such popular innovations as Pokemon Go, Campfire, Monster Hunter, Harry Potter Wizards Unite, and Niantic’s Real World Platform, which allows developers to create their own AR applications via its tools and services.
Below, Nidhi talks more about her path to the top of her industry, her groundbreaking work at Niantic, and the impact she hopes to have on the world of AR mobile gaming.
How did you get started in STEM, and what drew you to augmented reality?
I am very much part of the digital age. In India, anything technological caught my attention. Even in high school, I understood its broader implications for society, including the enhanced infrastructure of businesses, streamlined operations, and improved standards of living for people everywhere.
As exciting as all that was, it was augmented reality that really ignited my imagination. How incredible that we could tap into the power of AR to enhance our individual experiences with the world around us. In particular, I saw its potential in the area of gaming, which I loved. I could imagine nothing more interesting than developing AR in mobile entertainment, so I set about learning everything I could, with the goal of being at the forefront of it.
Talk about the early days of your career. What were some of your most pivotal successes?
First, the University of Southern California was an incredible place to study computer science. As a grad student, I had priceless opportunities to do research, push boundaries, and learn from some of the greatest minds in the industry. I worked on projects from different fields, ranging from networking to web development to software engineering. One of the projects I distinctly remember was developing a multiplayer gaming interface board game, which allowed multiple mice on the same terminal. As a result, a group of people could share the screen space and access the resources at the same time, which was groundbreaking in the industry. I am very thankful for my time at USC, as it built a strong foundation for my career in augmented reality mobile gaming.
Second, I enjoyed working at PlayStation as an Engineering Program Manager, as I was able to really develop my ability to simultaneously see minute details, the big picture, and the connections between them. While working on PlayStation’s Wallet, Accounts, and Identity, I spotted complex processes that were getting bogged down in details, so I created strategies to sort them out, allowing everything to flow well once more. That was by far something I liked about PlayStation: I could really develop my ability to lead, organize, and motivate other people. These successes meant that I was able to step confidently into Niantic’s work culture and lead from day one.
What attracted you to joining Niantic as a Technical Program Manager?
As a woman in STEM, I like to defy expectations. Contrary to what many people think about mobile gaming, I don’t believe that it has to be an isolating activity. Instead, by reinventing its rules, we can connect with the world around us. Augmented reality is the key. I knew that by innovating it, I could guide the industry in a completely different direction. Consequently, when I learned more about Niantic and its similar vision for AR mobile gaming, it was obvious I had found the company where I could put my ideas into action.
Is it ever overwhelming to lead a team of hundreds of professionals from different departments?
I actually thrive on the pressure. I am energized by the challenge of guiding a multidisciplinary team to do what other people say is impossible, meet tight deadlines, and stay on budget. On any given day, I might sit down to review the terms of a project with the Legal Department or go over to the “War Room” to talk with engineers. No matter who I am meeting with, I have to listen very carefully, really hear their concerns, and guide everyone towards a project’s completion. It is exhilarating to juggle multiple components of a plan, all so that the big picture can be accomplished.
What are some of the biggest contributions that you have made at Niantic?
I was proud to lead the rollouts of Campfire and Pokemon Go. I could see that both had enormous market potential, but their releases were being hindered by unmitigated risks and a lack of a realistic timeframe. With Campfire, I stepped in to address highly nuanced issues and created deadlines that were ultimately met. As for Pokemon Go, I was part of the growth team and delivered a lot of features with high impact. Both these products and features went on to become signature products of Niantic and are well-known by AR mobile gamers around the world.
The success of the Monster Hunter Now webstore surpassed even my own expectations. Its rollout was struggling because of the complex requirements of diverse stakeholders, so I worked with members of our marketing, legal, and game teams to find out what they really needed, then developed a timeline to pull it all together. Only a month later, players were visiting the Monster Hunter Now webstore and buying game-related items.
What is your leadership philosophy at Niantic?
I believe in respecting the humanity in each person. Obvious as this may sound, no matter our areas of expertise, we are all just people. While my coworkers and I arrive each day ready to advance Niantic’s vision, we all have days. As a leader, I try hard to respect that even though the team member in front of me has stellar coding skills, they also need to be inspired to go further than they thought they could. By being authentic, I can motivate them to become even better at what they do. I take that responsibility very seriously.
What are you currently working on at Niantic, and how will that impact your industry?
Currently I am working on a platform for all the Niantic games, and I am leading a team of four Technical Program Managers that manage all the aspects of games, including Trust and Safety, Growth, Revenue, and Social. Our whole team is building exciting features, including moderation of the content, web stores for games, targeting, and experimentation. My efforts are supporting Niantic by making our games safer, growing our global user base, and increasing our revenue. My job is immensely rewarding, as through it, I lead my team each day to discover what is truly possible beyond the limits of our imaginations.
