Compliance is in the middle of a shift that doesn't come around often. Agentic AI is changing how security and compliance work gets done, and the companies building it are writing the playbook as they go. At Drata, that work is already underway through the Drata Agentic Trust Management Platform and the AI team behind it.
To show what building here actually looks like, we talked to four people across applied AI research, engineering, and product. Here are their stories in their own words.
Shoshik Amram
Manager, AI Engineering
Shoshik Amram
Shoshik Amram came to AI through neuroscience. Her PhD taught her more than technical skill — it taught her how to think, through experimental design, data analysis, research methodology, and a particular way of handling failure. When many people would abandon a failed experiment and move on, she asks why it didn't work, which variables need adjustment, and what the results teach. That detective mindset carries straight into building AI systems.
For Shoshik, research and engineering aren't separate disciplines. Some weeks run 80% research and 20% engineering, and other weeks flip the ratio, and both perspectives stay in play throughout. When she researches, she thinks about scalability and engineering constraints. When she engineers, she thinks about experimentation, measurement, and what data the next version will need. “The intersection is my favorite part of the job,” she says.
It also produces concrete tools. One example is an experimentation platform for evaluating AI workflows. Testing different configurations and hyperparameters used to cost engineers days of manual effort. The platform now runs dozens of experiments in parallel—roughly 60 experiments in about five hours—with no manual adjustment between tests. Research and iteration move at a different speed because of it.
She’s excited for anyone starting at Drata, because “you're joining at a formative stage, with room to shape practices, processes, and systems from the ground up. It feels a lot like being part of a founding team.”
Ashish Jha
Director, Software Engineering
Ashish Jha
Ashish Jha spent years leading Drata's core GRC initiatives before moving to lead its agentic AI efforts. He oversees two products: the Evidence Agent, which automates evidence collection and closes the gaps left by manual work, and the Framework Agent, which lets customers bring any compliance framework into Drata and operationalize it from day one.
His career ran through infrastructure, cloud, SaaS, security, and GRC, including building services at AWS. The most valuable advice he's received? “What gets you to one stage of your career won't get you to the next. Growth means understanding what the next role demands and retooling for it, across communication and leadership as much as technical skill.”
“We're in a transformational era,” says Ashish, “the kind of shift that opens problems most engineers have never touched. Drata pairs that opportunity with stability—startup-level speed alongside existing revenue, a clear direction, and a real business underneath it. People who thrive here run on ownership, learning, and self-direction.”
“If I had to describe the Drata culture in one word, I’d say we have a culture of respect.” Even in difficult moments, he sees leaders who stay humble, approachable, and willing to listen, and that trust makes it easier for people to take risks and keep growing.
Akanksha Nguyen
Senior Director, Product Management
Akanksha Nguyen
Akanksha Nguyen's path into product management was anything but traditional. She earned a master's in communications and public relations, considered journalism, and worked as a learning management system administrator before a career fair conversation introduced her to product management. From there, she started as an intern and never looked back.
Now that she’s at Drata, no two days look the same. One day is a partnership evaluation, the next is design brainstorming and customer calls, the next is strategy review with leadership. The common thread is building a better product for customers. Her closest partners are engineering teams, and she also works with customers, product marketing, fellow PMs, and leadership — and of course Claude and other agentic tools are frequent collaborators as well (a sentiment echoed by the rest of the Drata teams).
“What I enjoy the most is shipping”, she says, “watching an idea become something customers can actually use. Product management at Drata is a builder role—senior and principal PMs still execute, build, and partner deeply with engineering.”
Her advice for anyone joining the team is to learn how to unblock yourself. Drata moves fast, and the expectation is to come with a recommended course of action rather than wait for perfect information. As leadership often reminds the team, “most decisions are two-way doors. You can adjust later, so favor progress over perfection.”
Jono Stiansen
Senior AI Engineer
Jono Stiansen
Jono Stiansen studied psychology before discovering computer science, then spent his career at startups in full-stack roles. When generative AI started gaining momentum, he was already following it closely. At SafeBase, when an AI Engineer role opened, he approached his manager and asked what it would take to earn the chance, despite not feeling fully qualified. He got it and grew into the title.
His day-to-day now centers on helping others. He coaches engineers working with AI systems, helps teammates get unblocked, monitors AI KPIs, and talks with customers to understand their challenges and spot ways to improve our AI driven products.
He described the culture of the AI teams in a single word: ownership, and followed with how people constantly strive to improve.
“I really enjoy how central continuous learning turned out to be. AI evolves quickly, and Drata encourages people to experiment, explore new tools, including AI-assisted coding, and stay on the cutting edge,” Jono shared. “I see Drata sitting in a sweet spot: small enough to avoid heavy bureaucracy and large enough to provide stability and runway, which gives engineers real room to make a mark.”
Help Build the Future of Trust With Drata
Different roles, different paths, one through line—unsolved problems, real ownership, and the room to shape how an industry adopts AI. Trust can't be a point-in-time exercise in a world that moves at AI speed, and the team building that future is always evolving.
If that sounds like the work you want to do, explore our open roles and build the future of trust with Drata.
