A remarkable story has emerged from Bengaluru, detailing how a young tech enthusiast, Ashish Jha, managed to catch the attention of none other than Jeff Bezos. It all began in 2017 when a 19-year-old Ashish, feeling frustrated about not receiving an Echo device reward for his popular Alexa skill, decided to send a direct cold email to Bezos himself.
Despite admitting the email was perhaps a bit childish and awkwardly phrased, Ashish’s direct approach yielded surprising results. The email sparked a personal connection with the Head Dev Marketing Manager for Alexa, who not only acknowledged Ashish’s work but also provided him with valuable contacts within Amazon. Within a month, Amazon began offering incentives to developers in the Indian market, a move that Ashish believes was partly influenced by his outreach.
Ashish recounted this pivotal moment on X, sharing a screenshot of the email that started it all. In it, he highlighted the disparity in rewards between US/UK developers and Indian developers for achieving user thresholds with their Alexa skills. He expressed his disappointment at not qualifying for an Echo Dot, emphasizing how such a reward would have further motivated his learning journey with Alexa.
The story quickly gained traction online, with many users praising Ashish’s initiative, persistence, and the courage to voice his concerns. The positive reactions underscored the power of direct communication and proactive engagement in professional growth.
Ashish Jha’s journey with voice technology began with Alexa’s launch in India in November 2017. Over the years, he has impressively developed over 500 Alexa skills across various domains and remains a dedicated contributor to the voice-first ecosystem. Today, he works as a Solutions Engineer at DevRev, a testament to how a single, well-placed email at a young age can indeed pave the way for a groundbreaking career.