At Wayfair India TDC, innovation is not siloed; it is tied directly to business outcomes. In this conversation, Sanjeev Gupta, Head of Technology and Site Leader for Global Supplier Technology, takes us through how the Bengaluru centre is reimagining the role of GCCs by owning global platforms, driving AI-first thinking, and enabling product leadership. From streamlining onboarding through generative AI to building startup-style squads that co-create with Boston teams, Wayfair India TDC is not just supporting the business but shaping it. Sanjeev also delves into cultivating intrapreneurship, engineering autonomy, and aligning agility with scale, offering a rare window into what a next-gen GCC truly looks like.
What is the role of Wayfair India TDC within the Indian GCC ecosystem, and how does it balance innovation with global business alignment?
Wayfair India TDC is uniquely positioned within the country’s thriving GCC ecosystem, not just as a technology centre, but as a strategic product and innovation hub that directly influences Wayfair’s global growth. It was conceptualised two years ago and stands at a very strong technology footprint with a significant part of the tech organisation established here in the Bengaluru centre. We are creating a model where India doesn’t just support the global business, it helps shape it, proving that innovation and alignment aren’t competing forces; they are two sides of the same coin when done right.
India is no longer just a hub for scale; it's becoming a playground for innovation and product leadership. Wayfair stands out as a next-gen GCC where teams own global platforms across different catalogues, supply chain optimisation, pricing science, and data infrastructure. Teams are working with a product-first mindset, owning the shared KRs across the global organisation.
We believe innovation isn’t siloed; it’s deeply tied to business or operational outcomes. We mitigated some local problems around onboarding (a large number of new joiners) through automated documentation for easy access, leading to faster onboarding. We work in lockstep with our US counterparts, participating in road mapping, quarterly planning, and shared OKRs.
Shifting from a service-oriented IT model to product development, what unique differentiators set Wayfair India TDC apart from other GCCs?
The global GCC landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, from traditional service delivery and support models to product-centric, innovation-led ecosystems.
At Wayfair India TDC, this shift is not just aspirational; it’s foundational to how we operate. Wayfair India was established as a pure product development centre since its inception. Availability of a strong e-commerce tech talent presence in India made Wayfair an instant hit. We have embraced a product-led operating model, where teams in India are:
- Owning platforms and products end-to-end (not just features or support).
- Co-developing product strategy with global teams rather than simply consuming roadmaps.
- Driving innovation across supply chain technology, pricing optimisation, Ad Tech, data engineering, and CX.
While every GCC is unique in its own way, there are a few deliberate choices we made early on that helped us find our footing. At Wayfair:
- Our teams are organised into cross-functional squads (PM, engineering, design, analytics) that function like startups within the enterprise, focusing on 0-1 product thinking.
- The India TDC leaders are global leaders who own global teams and charters and work as strategic partners, not just execution leaders. They own shared OKRs and joint planning sessions with Boston teams, enabling autonomy with alignment.
- We have cultivated an engineering-first culture, backed by world-class product leaders, a flat hierarchy, and an environment that encourages bold thinking.
- Wayfair India TDC is at the forefront of applying Generative AI, ML, and data science across the business, from improving onboarding and code generation to driving personalised search/storefront experience.
What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top-tier engineering talent while fostering a culture of ownership, impact-driven work, and cross-cultural collaboration?
Our approach to talent goes beyond just hiring smart engineers; we are building a culture where top-tier talent can thrive, take ownership, create impact, and collaborate seamlessly across geographies.
Our hiring and retention philosophy is built on three core pillars:
- Ownership
- Accountability
- Impact
We ensure that candidates are made aware of this philosophy during the hiring process, setting clear expectations from the outset. Our teams operate as full-stack product squads, where engineering, product, design, and data collaborate seamlessly. Engineers are entrusted with ownership of entire components or services, from design to deployment to monitoring, fostering a strong sense of achievement and purpose. A significant portion of our hiring comes through our robust referral program, as we believe employees are more likely to stay in an organisation where they find familiar peers they have worked with before. We also place a strong emphasis on a culture of ‘walking the talk’ among leaders. Every leader at Wayfair India brings a growth mindset and a proven track record of working with GCCs in India, instilling trust and confidence in their leadership.
Balancing agility with global scale, how do you ensure autonomy for local teams while aligning with headquarters' decision-making?
Balancing agility with global scale is one of the most strategic imperatives for modern GCCs. As they evolve from cost efficiency hubs to innovation and capability centres, striking the right balance between local autonomy and global alignment becomes critical. While establishing our new team, we focused on empowering local teams with decision-making autonomy within well-defined strategic and operational guardrails.
We introduced the Freedom Within a Framework, where headquarters defines the ‘what’ (vision, goals, priorities), while GCCs own the ‘how’ (execution, innovation, speed). For instance, teams may decide on the most suitable tech stack or product delivery model. However, we are steadily moving towards a product-centric mindset, where GCC teams own outcomes, not just execution through shared OKRs. We have created cross-functional squads (product, engineering, design, data) with local decision rights to innovate and iterate faster.
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How does Wayfair India TDC address work-life balance and burnout challenges in a high-paced e-commerce environment?
Wayfair India TDC does not stop at building simply a plush workplace, but to nurture a thriving ecosystem for all our employees. We abide by the power of autonomy, giving our people the freedom and flexibility to balance their time effectively. We are deeply committed to employee well-being, offering access to mental health resources, flexible leave policies, and team-building activities that foster genuine connection and a sense of belonging.
What India-specific innovations or insights have influenced Wayfair’s global tech strategy, particularly in AI-driven personalisation?
At our India centre, most teams operate with a product-centric mindset, where outcomes are owned through shared OKRs. This approach empowers teams to drive significant productivity gains by leveraging GenAI tools such as Copilot and CodeAssist for code generation and reviews. One of the biggest challenges we have encountered is onboarding, given the influx of newcomers each quarter. To address this, we have utilised GenAI to consolidate and generate comprehensive documentation from scattered resources across the organisation for each domain, significantly enhancing the onboarding experience. Additionally, our data science team in India is collaborating closely with our headquarters to develop agentic models aimed at advancing personalised search by incorporating all possible internal and external signals.
What are the evolving roles of GCCs from execution centres to strategic hubs, and how Wayfair India TDC is positioning itself for long-term success?
Global Capability Centres have undergone a fundamental transformation. Once viewed primarily as cost-effective execution engines, today’s GCCs are evolving into strategic hubs of innovation, product ownership, and digital transformation.
We are shaping this next-generation GCC narrative by fostering product leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and a culture of innovation. We are deeply embedded within Wayfair’s global product ecosystem, with local leaders co-driving strategy alongside Boston-based stakeholders.
Our focus on AI-first thinking drives investments in Generative AI, Data Science, and Intelligent Automation to address high-impact challenges like personalisation, supply chain resilience, and customer service. At Wayfair India TDC, we operate with high trust and accountability, empowering local teams with decision-making autonomy while ensuring alignment with global priorities through shared OKRs, regular reviews, and strong stakeholder partnerships.
Our ultimate aim is to be a true co-creation partner, contributing meaningfully to Wayfair’s global success rather than functioning as a traditional delivery centre.
How does Wayfair encourage a culture of internal innovation and ‘intrapreneurship’ within the organisation?
At Wayfair, innovation is not confined to a specific team but is intrinsically embedded in our culture. We intentionally create an environment where every team member feels empowered to think like an entrepreneur, challenge the status quo, and drive change from within. Our atomic teams, self-sufficient, cross-functional units, focus on solving customer and supplier problems, bringing ideas to execution. Whether it’s in supply chain, pricing, or customer experience, these teams have the freedom to tackle challenges creatively while staying aligned with global strategy.
To cultivate innovation, we host regular pitch sessions and quarterly hackathons at both local and global scales, enabling team members to propose and prototype new ideas or capabilities. Additionally, we are advancing the use of Generative AI (GenAI) beyond proof-of-concept tools, focusing instead on solving real business and operational problems. Technologies such as Enterprise ChatGPT, notebookLLM, and VertexAI are widely used across teams, ensuring cutting-edge solutions and keeping everyone on their toes with the constant adoption of new technologies.
Wayfair’s innovation culture is built on trust, empowerment, and curiosity. We don’t just talk about intrapreneurship, we design our teams, incentives, and mindset around it. This approach allows us to constantly evolve, disrupt ourselves, and stay ahead in one of the world’s most dynamic industries.
At Wayfair, every employee has both the permission and the platform to build what’s next.
Sanjeev Gupta is the Head of Technology and Site Leader for Global Supplier Technology (GST) at Wayfair’s Technology Development Centre in Bengaluru, India. He leads the development of global supplier technology and engineering initiatives at the centre. Prior to joining Wayfair, Sanjeev served as Director of Engineering at Google, where he led the development of advanced technologies focused on global cloud partners. He also held the position of Senior Director of Engineering at Flipkart, where he played a key role in establishing technology platforms across logistics, marketplace, and accounting systems for both customers and suppliers. Earlier in his career, Sanjeev held leadership roles at Yahoo! and Quark, contributing significantly to their technology evolution. He holds a master’s degree in Computer Science from Punjabi University, Patiala.
