【Just a Stranger】

Vidya Nayak,Just a Stranger Head of Product Design at Yahoo Search, is aware it’s not easy to be a visible female tech executive. She also knows talking about her experiences as a woman in the industry makes a difference.

“Sharing my own stories honestly and authentically encourages other women in the room to come forward and share theirs,” Nayak tells Mashable. “This creates a sense of community and solidarity where women feel seen, heard, and empowered to navigate their day-to-day boldly.”

Nayak has a big job at Yahoo, which ranks as the U.S.’s second most-visited website. Nayak was a major part of the team that recently introduced an AI chatbot and AI-powered summaries within Yahoo search. Logged-in users can take advantage of the new offerings, which mark a big step for the 31-year-old company’s effort to regain a bigger presence in Search after being swamped by Google over 20 years ago.

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“We’re definitely taking a more forward-looking approach to how Yahoo search evolves with the conversational interface and even the AI summaries,” Nayak says. “We’re creating an experience that helps users make decisions faster, be more productive, and, in the end, [have search be] more intuitive for them.”

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Before joining Yahoo in 2023, the graduate of San Francisco's Academy of Art University held leadership roles at Disney Interactive, Rodale, iWin, and News Corp., where she led the launch of the first mobile apps for Fox News and Fox Business. At her most recent pre-Yahoo position, Nayak served as Design Director for bank giant SoFi, streamlining the company's apps and helping guide overall corporate strategy. Nayak is candid about what that view from the top looked like.

"I wouldn’t say I’m the only woman in the room [at these companies], but, yes, it is definitely male-dominated," the mother of two says. "Tech has significantly made strides, but globally it still remains male-dominated. Things are shifting, however, very slowly. Tech companies are slowly recognizing the value female leaders bring to the organization, so you see a lot more women at the C Level and in leadership roles and manager roles."

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Vidya Nayak credits female mentors for helping her succeed in the industry. Credit: Yahoo

Nayak encourages companies to continue to invest in mentoring women through in-company programs and internships.

"We must create opportunities to develop technical and soft skills with clear progression paths [and] actionable feedback that will help women then take those steps forward," she says. "I think mentorship and critical role model functions are key to opening doors and more opportunities for women."

Even though this presidential administration has painted diversity as a bad word, especially on the collegiate level, bringing girls and women to the forefront would appear to make good business sense for the entire industry. A product created with the input of different minds and experiences will appeal to a larger cross-section of customers, believes Nayak.

"It’s important to recognize this [gender] gap exists at all levels, but particularly the education level," Nayak says. "That needs to change. More men are often encouraged to pursue STEM programs and enter the tech space. Right from the get-go, at the foundational levels, if we make those changes, women will feel more welcome [in the industry]."

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Nayak believes in opening doors of opportunity behind her, especially since many were opened for her.

"I was very fortunate to have strong female role models early in my career when I just started working and during my graduate school days," she says. "They inspired me and showed me I could achieve anything and [helped me] navigate these challenges that women face. Learning from the best is crucial."

Networking and "building a community of women" is mutually beneficial for all women in the industry, Nayak says.

"It’s also important to celebrate each other’s accomplishments," she adds. "I remember a quote from Chelsea Handler: 'I never blew out someone’s candle to make mine brighter.' We need to be each other’s cheerleaders."

Topics Diversity Social Good Yahoo