"In the age of AI, the question isn't 'Can we build this?' It's 'What should we build first?'"

An interview with Sharath Sundar, Manager, UX and AI

When Sharath Sundar joined Revvity more than eight years ago, he joined as a UX Designer.

At the time, artificial intelligence wasn't part of his role. He was helping design software products and working alongside colleagues who would go on to become long-term collaborators.

Today, he helps lead AI initiatives used across the company and works with senior leaders across multiple functions. He is also part of a team exploring how AI can support new solutions across Revvity. The journey wasn't something he planned from the beginning.

"I joined for the people."

That answer comes quickly when Sharath is asked what has kept him at Revvity for more than eight years. Before joining the company, he had worked at startups and built businesses of his own. What attracted him was the opportunity to work with people he could learn from and solve tough problems as part of a multidisciplinary team.

More than eight years later, that mindset still shapes the way he approaches innovation.

"We don't think of this as a corporate job. We think of this as our company. We think of ourselves as a small startup within this big thing."

Q: You've seen Revvity evolve significantly during your time here. What stands out when you think about innovation?

Sharath: One thing that really resonated with me recently was hearing Revvity described as a billion-dollar startup. That's genuinely how a lot of us think. Some days, I feel like I'm running six different startups within the company.

What I've learned is that innovation rarely starts with somebody saying, "Let's innovate."

One of the best examples was during COVID. At the time, employees across the company were already helping one another. Teams in one region would step in and support teams in another region affected by shutdowns. It was happening organically.

A few of us thought there had to be an easier way to connect people who needed help with people who wanted to contribute. So we built a volunteer marketplace.

The entire project was created by volunteers on top of their day jobs. We designed it, built it, and launched it across the company in less than five days.

Within a few weeks, close to one hundred projects had been posted and hundreds of employees had volunteered to contribute. Eventually, it received an innovation award, but that was never the goal.

"We didn't think of it as innovation. We just wanted to solve the problem in front of us."

That experience still influences how we work today.

Q: How has AI changed the way your team thinks about innovation?

Sharath: AI has changed the conversation completely.

For years, the question was whether something could be built. Today, many things are technically possible.

"In the age of AI, the question isn't 'Can we build this?' It's 'What should we build first?'"

That's why research has become even more important.

We spend a lot of time talking to employees, customers, and different functions across the company. We want to understand which problems are worth solving before we start building solutions. Sometimes AI is the answer. Sometimes it isn't. The important thing is understanding the problem first.

Q: RevvityAI has become one of the company's most widely used AI platforms. How did it begin?

Sharath: Honestly, we didn't start out trying to build something huge.

A few years ago, we were looking at what it would cost to provide access to some of the major AI platforms available at the time.

The numbers were significant. Roughly speaking, it could have cost between six and nine million dollars annually to provide AI access to ten thousand employees. Instead, we started asking a different question.

Could we create a secure, high-quality AI experience that worked for Revvity?

We focused on the fundamentals. We partnered with AWS and worked closely with Digital, Legal, HR, and leadership teams. We wanted to make sure employees could use AI confidently while protecting company information.

What I'm most proud of is how many different groups came together to make it successful.

Around half of the company has now used RevvityAI, representing approximately five thousand employees. That level of adoption didn't happen because of technology alone. It happened because of partnerships.

"We're good at building, but building is only one part of the problem."

Q: How does Revvity's mission influence the work you're doing today?

Sharath: Healthcare wasn't something I originally joined the company for.

I joined because I wanted to work with great people. Over time, that changed.

One of the areas I'm most excited about now is exploring how some of the AI capabilities we're developing internally could eventually create value for customers.

What's important is that we don't start by building technology. We start by talking to customers.

What are your problems?

What would make the biggest difference?

What are you struggling with today?

Those conversations continue to shape our thinking. We focus first on understanding who we can support, where we can create value, and what impact we want to achieve.

For me, that's where Revvity's mission becomes tangible.

"A lot of people talk about wanting to change the world. I didn't join because I wanted to change the world. I wanted to do the right thing that helps people."

Q: Your team has become known for its internship program. Why is talent development such a big focus?

Sharath: We've worked with close to one hundred interns over the last six years.

At this point, it has become a huge part of how we operate.

Every four months, we bring in a new cohort. We're expecting around twenty interns to join us in Canada this September alone.

What makes the experience different is that interns aren't working on side projects.

They're contributing to real initiatives, including RevvityAI and projects across functions such as HR, Finance, Commercial, and Operations.

We also launched something called the Revvity AI Gig, which allows employees and interns from different parts of the business and the world to contribute directly to AI initiatives.

We've had participants join from India and other regions and become part of the broader team.

One lesson we've learned is that onboarding matters. The final week of an internship isn't focused on delivery. It's focused on helping the next group succeed. Interns create guides, videos, and documentation for future cohorts.

"It's not about your individual rock starness. It's about how you make the next person successful."

That approach has helped create a culture where people genuinely support one another.

Q: What do you look for when hiring?

Sharath: We've had the opportunity to work with a lot of interns over the years, and certain patterns have become clear.

The people who do well here usually really want to be here. They're interested in building things. They're excited about learning. They don't need every step mapped out before they start.

"We are looking for builders."

Not because we expect people to know everything. Quite the opposite. We're looking for people who are willing to tackle problems they haven't encountered before, work with others, and contribute to something bigger than themselves.

We've already converted several interns into full-time employees this year, and we're hoping to convert more. For us, internships have become something more than a development program.

"The way I think about internships now is that they're the world's best interview process."

One final thought

When Sharath talks about AI, he rarely starts with technology.

He talks about people.

The colleagues who inspired him. The customers whose perspectives shape new ideas. The interns who became full-time employees. The partnerships that helped turn ideas into solutions.

For someone helping lead one of Revvity's most visible AI initiatives, that focus might seem unexpected. But perhaps that's exactly the point.

Technology continues to evolve. The real challenge is deciding where it can create the most value. As Sharath puts it:

"In the age of AI, the question isn't 'Can we build this?' It's 'What should we build first?'"