A Kerala-born tech professional proved that one doesn’t need fancy degrees to achieve success in their career. The man, named Ershad Kunnakkadan, has taken over Gumroad, a San Francisco-based digital commerce
platform, as the CEO at just 33 years old. He has been with the company since 2020 and has risen through the ranks to assume the role after the founder, Sahil Lavingia, stepped down.
Taking to LinkedIn, Lavingia announced the change in the leadership position, writing, “After 14 years, I’m stepping down as CEO of Gumroad. I’ve found the perfect leader to take over for me: Ershad Kunnakkadan.” Replying to him, Kunnakkadan posted, “Super excited to start my new role as CEO at Gumroad! Thank you, Sahil, for the foundation, the guidance, the example, and for trusting me with this new role. So proud of the team and ready to serve our creators even more!”
Ershad Kunnakkadan: Early Life
Born to a middle-class family in Kerala, the 33-year-old studied in a government school. His love for technology began early, as entrepreneur Deedy Das shared in a LinkedIn post. When a senior introduced him to Ubuntu Linux, it opened the door for him to open-source software, blogging, scripting and much more. Though he joined a small private engineering college, his real learning happened outside the classroom. Frustrated with conventional examinations, he left college and promised his family that he would finish his degree.
Ershad Kunnakkadan: Professional Journey
Kunnakkadan’s professional journey began after he left college, when he took on a developer internship in 2012. He then moved to a software engineering role in the same year, and in 2013, he assumed the position of a software architect at Bang the Table. Rather than following the traditional route, he then completed his degree remotely from Bharathiar University. At the same time, he sharpened his technical skills and also enrolled himself in the Google Summer of Code program, which further strengthened his portfolio.
In June 2015, Kunnakkadan remotely joined BigBinary as a Senior Software Engineer. At the same time, he volunteered for Swathanthra Malayalam Computing (SMC). Finally, in 2020, he joined Gumroad first as a consultant and later as a Senior Software Engineer. In between, he got married and continued working remotely from different regions, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Joining Gumroad proved to be a turning point in his career. Kunnakkadan carried out his responsibilities quietly and focused on his growth above all else. Earlier this year, he moved to the US on an O-1 visa, and within months, he was appointed as the CEO of Gumroad, which generates over $100 million in merchandise volume.
