Inside the AWS Community with Jason: A Candid Conversation in Bengaluru
Inside the AWS Community with Jason: A Candid Conversation in Bengaluru
Recently, at AWS Community Day Bengaluru, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jason, the Community Head for the AWS Community Builders program. Jason’s journey from a self-taught tech enthusiast to a leader at AWS is as inspiring as the vibrant developer community he oversees.
We talked about everything from his unconventional career path to the incredible "India scale" of the AWS community. Here is the full podcast.
Chandra: Jason, most welcome to the podcast! Let’s start with your career at AWS. How did it all begin for you?
Jason: Thank you, Chandra! I just celebrated my fifth anniversary with AWS. I was actually hired right at the start of the pandemic, in March 2020. I remember interviewing for the role while I was on vacation in Mexico with my family—which was pretty funny looking back. Starting a new job when the whole world was shutting down was definitely a strange experience.
Chandra: Did you apply specifically for the community program, or did your journey start elsewhere?
Jason: I actually wasn't part of the AWS community before this. I’m not a technical builder and I had never used AWS. My background is in marketing and communications. When I saw a job listing for a community program within the marketing department, it felt like the perfect fit for my skill set.
Chandra: That’s interesting! A lot of people are curious about your background. How did you get into this space?
Jason: I studied applied communications in school—things like public relations, writing, and organizational dynamics. But I never had a "traditional" communications job. For years, I was self-employed; I ran technology blog sites, was a YouTuber long before it was mainstream, and was a Microsoft MVP for 15 years for my contributions to their technical community.
Eventually, my freelance work for Microsoft transitioned into a role at HTC, where I worked on their Android phone community. From there, I moved to AT&T Business to manage a community of small business owners, and finally, I landed here at AWS.
Chandra: AWS is known for its incredible community. From your lens, what makes the program so special?
Jason: When I joined, I was amazed by the passion. I didn't know much about user groups back then, but my job was to tap into that energy and build a new type of community from scratch. We launched the AWS Community Builders program in beta in June 2020—just 60 days after I started. At Amazon, we have a leadership principle called "Bias for Action," so we just figured out the best way to get it out the door.
Chandra: You’re quite a celebrity here! People are lining up for selfies. Did you expect this kind of reception in India?
Jason: I had a hunch! At events like re:Invent, I take a lot of pictures, but I knew coming to India would be on another level.
Chandra: What is the most unique thing you’ve noticed about the developer community here?
Jason: It’s what I call "India scale". Everything is just bigger here. For example, when we opened Community Builder applications this year, we had about 4,700 total—and 2,000 of those were from India alone. This Community Day in Bengaluru feels like a professional AWS summit; the energy and the population of young developers are just incredible.
Chandra: You actually chose to attend this Community Day over the AWS Summit that happened two weeks ago. Why was that?
Jason: Two reasons. At a Summit, my job is mostly standing in a booth and shaking hands. But at a Community Day, I get to speak, present, and really get to the heart of the community. I had heard how amazing the Indian community events were, and I wanted to experience it firsthand.
Chandra: We’ve seen great growth in India, but what about regions where the community is smaller, like Saudi Arabia? Do you have plans for those areas?
Jason: It’s not always easy growing in new regions, but our strategy is to leverage existing members. We encourage our builders in places like Saudi Arabia to share the application and grow the base. User groups are the most important part of this; if we can get a user group started in a city, the community grows from there, eventually producing Community Builders and AWS Heroes.
Chandra: You also mentioned "Cloud Clubs" in your presentation. Can you tell us more about that?
Jason: Cloud Clubs is a newer initiative, launched around late 2023 or early 2024. It’s essentially a user group specifically for students at colleges and universities. It’s led by students, for students, to get them interested in AWS early on. We’re already seeing Cloud Club captains transition into becoming Community Builders.
Chandra: How many countries have you visited to build these communities?
Jason: Honestly, not that many yet! Last year was my first big international push—I went to Thailand and Malaysia. Malaysia was actually the first Community Day I ever attended. This year, India is my first stop, followed by Singapore, Indonesia, and Argentina. I’m trying to hit as many places as possible.
Chandra: For someone in a small city wanting to start a local user group, what is your advice?
Jason: We encourage people to partner with existing groups first. However, if you’re in a city where it’s not realistic for people to travel to the nearest group, we absolutely encourage you to start your own. Even in a "small" city of a million people—which I know is small by "India scale"—if there are people who want to learn, we want to help them connect.
Chandra: Finally, how has your actual stay in India been so far?
Jason: It had a rough start! I arrived at 4:00 AM after a long flight, and then the airline lost my bag. But now I’m well-rested, I have new clothes, and I’m looking forward to doing some "photo walking" around the city this weekend.
And the food has been great! Last night I had corn and cheese samosas from a food cart—I asked for the least spicy thing they had, and it was still pretty spicy for me, but delicious. I also had a sweet Lassi and some Gulab Jamun, which I’ve had before from my neighbors back home. I love Indian food!
Chandra: Jason, it’s been a pleasure. I hope your stay is memorable, and we look forward to seeing you back in India soon.
Jason: Thank you for having me! It’s been a great event.
