Krishna C. Mukherjee is a thought leader, inventor, and technology pioneer. He is a Microsoft veteran who was involved in the creation and development of Office and Windows. Over the years, Mukherjee has contributed energy and talent toward the success of Microsoft. His contributions have helped Microsoft become an industry leader.
Background
Mukherjee has provided some of the leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies that have streamlined and automated many business processes. During his professional career, Mukherjee made highly significant contributions in the areas of software architecture, AI, and cloud computing. He essentially created the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model that is widely used in the software industry.
Education
Mukherjee possesses an excellent educational background. He studied science and engineering at the reputable Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). He earned his bachelor's degree in electronics and electrical communication engineering from IIT Kharagpur and his master's degree in computer science and engineering from IIT Kanpur. He specialized in AI and robotics. While studying at the IITs, Mukherjee did innovative research, wrote excellent theses, and published papers in AI conferences. In 1988, Microsoft recruited Mukherjee from IIT Kanpur to create its architecture, design, and develop software products. Mukherjee joined Microsoft at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Thus, he started his professional career in a remarkable way.
Career
Mukherjee worked as a lead architect and engineer for Microsoft. He and his teams created Microsoft Office for Windows and Apple computers. Mukherjee led the design and development of popular features for Windows, Office, and Visual Studio. These features include Page Layout, Printing, Spelling and Grammar, WordBASIC, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), Object Linking & Embedding (OLE), Component Object Model (COM), AutoFormat, Office Assistant, and IntelliSense. During his professional career, Mukherjee has been a driving force behind various products that have solidified Microsoft’s domination over the home and office software markets.
In the late 1990s, manual filings took a significant amount of time for most businesses. Insurance was one of the most heavily regulated industries in the United States. Large insurance companies had to file approximately 700 different types of paper forms to conduct business in every state. Annual reporting, rates, policies, approval for underwriting, regulatory requirements, and oversight of sales personnel generated huge amounts of paperwork for insurance companies to complete. Professionals in other industries, such as doctors, accountants, lawyers, and finance professionals, had equally overwhelming paperwork. Sometimes, legal jargon complicated forms and the paperwork became even more daunting. The time and effort required to complete paperwork drained significant resources from corporate offices.
In 1996, Mukherjee moved on to Wolters Kluwer in Manhattan, New York City. Here, he invented the Intelligent Filing Manager to solve the high-volume forms publishing problem. The invention was truly groundbreaking. Intelligent Filing Manager is an electronic filing system that automates highly complex workflows in a user-friendly way. It enables large organizations to use shrink-wrapped applications, such as Microsoft Excel, to manage data and business rules. Users can file a variety of forms in multiple jurisdictions simultaneously. Intelligent Filing Manager represents the beginning of the now widespread use of AI.
Mukherjee served as the chief information officer for Wolters Kluwer. He directed cross-functional teams to develop client-server and internet versions of the electronic filing system. They developed award-winning e-commerce sites CTAdvantage.com, CTInsuranceAdvantage.com, CTLienSolutions.com, hCue.com, and MediRegs.com. Their efforts enabled organizations to transition from paper-based to electronic processes. Mukherjee’s software architecture has transformed the way enterprises operate. He created the SaaS model for transacting business on the internet or in “the cloud.” This model has revolutionized the way software is developed, delivered, and consumed today.
Mukherjee’s automation of business workflows inspired the creation of new user-interface frameworks for Windows and open-source platforms. Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML), and Silverlight were developed under his leadership. Today, enterprises use smart, AI-based tools to improve their revenue streams, eliminate wasteful expenses, and track productivity gains. Automation has become the norm since Mukherjee invented the Intelligent Filing Manager. Mukherjee's work received patents in different countries. He received abundant recognition at international conferences for his innovations in software architecture, user interfaces, and AI.
During the 2000s, Mukherjee directed the development of strategic software applications for global financial institutions such as Citadel LLC, Bloomberg LP, and UBS AG. One such application is the Bloomberg Valuation Service (BVAL). It is a new standard in valuation that provides credible, transparent, and defensible prices for a broad spectrum of financial instruments, including derivatives and structured notes. When it comes to pricing, traders, portfolio managers, risk committees, boards, regulators, and – ultimately – the investor depend on the result. In BVAL, a rigorous process is applied to data to generate prices that are rigorous, transparent, and defensible. BVAL starts with the highest quality data integrated across a wide cross-section of market contributors. The data is scrubbed, cleansed, and verified with every input, and the output is tested for quality and consistency. Outliers, errors, and inconsistencies are scrutinized and resolved. Mukherjee created the BVAL pricing framework with well-defined architectural components. BVAL produces snapshots of security prices at designated times across the globe. The prices can be viewed on a screen and consumed by calling services. Mukherjee researched and developed quantitative algorithms to price liquid and illiquid securities using market data and models.
Mukherjee’s exceptional knowledge of technology has motivated him to create innovative e-commerce and mobile applications for online reservations of parking, space management, and omnichannel retailing. In 2012, he created an automated payment feature called AutoPay. The AutoPay feature enables customers to make reservations and purchases online using their bank accounts or credit cards. Customers can set up instructions to arrange for the payments to be taken out at regular intervals. After the instructions are set up, the payments are automatically deducted from the customers’ accounts. AutoPay is convenient, economical, and secure. It allows customers to avoid paying late fees and improve their credit scores. Companies, in turn, get paid on time. Thus, AutoPay has created peace of mind for both customers and businesses.
Icon Parking Systems (Icon) is a leader in branded parking services with more than 300 locations in Manhattan, New York City. More than 40,000 cars are parked daily at Icon’s locations. Icon’s customers use Mukherjee’s AutoPay feature to pay their bills. By offering this feature, Icon was relieved of the burden of processing cash and paper checks. The company became efficient and highly profitable. Since then, many brands have chosen to offer AutoPay for their services. Today, this feature is used worldwide across various industries.
Mukherjee is not just a technologist. He is involved in artistic and musical activities. These hobbies help him focus his creative energies and avoid burnout. Mukherjee believes strongly in pursuing new concepts. He has gladly accepted opportunities to work on diverse projects. One of his favorite literary quotes is from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.”
Views
Quotations:
"When I was a child, my parents taught me the importance of honesty, perseverance, and thrift. They used to tell me, ‘Waste not, want not.’ I remember my parents’ advice and apply it in my day-to-day life. I use human resources very carefully. When I conceive a new idea, I do the initial work myself. My suggestion is to act on your ideas even if there are little or no resources available initially."
"I keep on learning and recommend that everyone else do the same. To me, information technology is rapidly changing."
"I believe that humility is the most important quality for a business leader to have. Ego is like a steep hill, and ideas are like water. Water rolls off a steep hill. Similarly, ego prevents the accumulation of ideas. Humility, on the other hand, is like a lake that gathers water. Humility allows ideas to accumulate and businesses to flourish."
Connections
Krishna C. Mukherjee stated the following:
"I received an excellent education in India. I learned from my parents, teachers, and professors."
"During my professional career, I have worked with some of the best business leaders. They have given me the opportunity to address tough, real-world problems. They have encouraged me to research and develop ground-breaking solutions. They have helped ensure that my creations are used worldwide every day. They have expressed great admiration toward my work and contributions. I have influenced their thinking, and they have influenced mine."
"I am fortunate to have great family, friends, and colleagues who inspire me."