HYDERABAD: For the better part of the 20th century, technology was cradled by the West. The rest of the world looked on in awe as all sorts of never-before-seen machines — radio, TV, computer, headphones, cell phones, iPod, iPad or video games — took their first steps across the seas and beyond. But in the 21st century’s roaring twenties, there are no barriers.
While India globally consolidates its position in the AI, biotechnology, and defence tech spaces, zoom into Hyderabad and you will be taken aback by the sheer amount of ‘technovation’. Recently, the city’s premier innovation space, T-Hub, hosted Bryce Johnson, co-inventor of the Xbox Adaptive Controller and co-founder of Microsoft Inclusive Tech Lab, for the MadScientist Talks called ‘Democratising Gaming Tech for the World’.
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What are your thoughts on the startup climate in Hyderabad?
Visiting T-Works and T-Hub showed me that the government here is very encouraging of startups. In fact, T-Hub is so much nicer than any startup place you would see in Silicon Valley! Inclusive Tech Lab is looking at possible partnerships with T-Works and IIIT-H. Hyderabad is a great place for startups — this is good news for companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Google.
What are you most passionate about in the tech space?
Inclusivity and accessibility — it’s my entire world, really. I think of myself as an interaction designer for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). Microsoft basically tells me to make our products the most accessible. In the Inclusive Tech Lab, we are focused on empowering PwDs to do more.
It’s amazing to me how enthusiastic people here are about accessibility. I especially think that India is leading the world in terms of accommodating blind users. In India, even if you empower 5% of PwDs — this number accounts for more people than the bottom 100 countries of the world — that will have a massive impact. India being a leader in accessibility and employment will have huge implications on other economies.
How did you get into the tech space?
I always loved photography and got my first camera when I was 12. When I was in my third year at photography school, my professor told me, ‘You’re not a photographer’. In some ways, this was earth-shattering. But it pushed me in the direction of tech — there was a point of time at Microsoft when I decided I was just going to work on accessibility.
Sacrifices had to be made and many peers rocketed up the corporate ladder way faster than me. But being devoted to PwDs is something I wouldn’t change for anything in the world. That’s my story.
What are your thoughts on Satya Nadella?
In many ways, Satya Nadella also helped push me in this direction. When Satya first became CEO, we were at an internal event and I asked him, ‘Hey, can you make design care about accessibility?’ He said, ‘No, you do it.’ (laughs). He is a wonderful leader who has developed a culture at Microsoft that lets everyone work together and at the same time, allows each person to work on things that are individually important.
What is the future of tech in the world?
I’ve been in big tech for many, many years now and have never seen anything like this — AI is the future of tech. When you think about interacting with computers, it’s mostly about input and output, right? Artificial Intelligence transforming content and transforming input has tons of potential to open up computing to people with disabilities.
What is the one thing that technology has taught you?
I have worked with a lot of engineers; I can’t blame them but they tend to get lost in the minutiae of tech, forgetting who they are building tech for. It always comes back to people. Are we helping people do more?
What is one message you have for startups and tech enthusiasts in Hyderabad?
I just want everyone to keep this in mind — I don’t think anyone who makes products or experiences sets out to exclude people. But unless we intentionally include, we will unintentionally exclude. It can be uncomfortable but I ask you to embrace that discomfort and engage with those communities. That is the way forward.