Punit Soni, CEO of Suki, an AI voice solution for healthcare professionals valued at $295 million, shares his journey from Big Tech executive to AI startup founder in a revealing interview with Business Insider.
Soni’s career trajectory spans some of Silicon Valley’s most prestigious companies. After earning degrees in engineering and an MBA from Wharton School in 2007, he joined Google as a product manager, where he spearheaded Google+ Games and mobile initiatives including Mobile Hangouts and Instant Upload. His five-year tenure at Google taught him invaluable lessons about scaling products and embracing failure as opportunity.
In August 2012, Soni transitioned to Motorola as VP of product management, where a pivotal experience shaped his entrepreneurial future. While building the Moto X with its first always-on voice interface, he recognized that voice technology would become the default for most devices. This insight, combined with emerging conversations around artificial intelligence, planted the seeds for Suki.
After a stint as chief product officer at Flipkart in India (later acquired by Walmart in 2018), Soni finally answered his “entrepreneurial itch” in 2016. He founded Suki with a clear mission: to make healthcare technology assistive and invisible, allowing doctors to focus on patient care rather than administrative tasks.
The transition from employee to founder proved challenging. Soni candidly admits he was “a poor CEO for the first two or three years” due to difficulties managing his emotional state. He experienced sleepless nights, lost friendships, and countless founder mistakes. The shift required starting from the bottom, reassessing his skills, and learning to juggle multiple roles without the established routines and support systems of Big Tech.
Despite the hardships, Soni finds pride in Suki’s real-world impact. Over 350 healthcare systems now use the AI platform to help doctors focus on patient care. He values the autonomy and control he now possesses, creating what he calls a “drama-free environment” focused on collective success rather than internal politics.
Soni’s advice for aspiring founders is stark: “Building a company is not a financial or professional decision — it’s a romantic one.” He emphasizes that entrepreneurship requires emotional intelligence, energy, and genuine love for your idea. Ironically, he admits, “I don’t wish entrepreneurship on anybody” due to the financial risks and emotional toll, yet he loves what he’s doing.
Key Quotes
Building this software made me aware that voice was going to be the default for most devices.
Soni made this observation while working on the Moto X at Motorola, developing one of the first always-on voice interfaces. This early insight into voice technology’s potential directly influenced his decision to found Suki, an AI voice solution for healthcare.
I was a poor CEO for the first two or three years because I couldn’t manage my emotional state. I’ve made every founder mistake because of my challenges with regulating my emotions.
Soni candidly admits his early struggles as a founder, acknowledging sleepless nights, lost friendships, and emotional challenges. This honest reflection highlights the often-overlooked psychological demands of transitioning from Big Tech executive to startup CEO.
Building a company is not a financial or professional decision — it’s a romantic one. You need to love your idea and have the emotional intelligence and energy to see it through.
This advice encapsulates Soni’s philosophy on entrepreneurship, emphasizing that passion and emotional commitment matter more than rational business calculations when founding a startup, particularly in challenging sectors like AI healthcare.
Ironically, I don’t wish entrepreneurship on anybody. It’s a risky financial decision to leave a stable job. But I love what I’m doing most days.
Despite building a successful $295 million AI company serving 350+ healthcare systems, Soni maintains a realistic perspective on entrepreneurship’s challenges, acknowledging both the risks and rewards of leaving Big Tech stability.
Our Take
Soni’s trajectory represents a critical pattern in AI’s evolution: experienced Big Tech leaders leveraging their expertise to apply AI in high-impact, underserved sectors. His early recognition of voice AI’s potential—years before ChatGPT made conversational AI mainstream—demonstrates the value of domain expertise combined with technological foresight.
What’s particularly noteworthy is Suki’s focus on making technology “assistive and invisible.” This philosophy contrasts with the current AI hype cycle’s emphasis on flashy capabilities, instead prioritizing practical problem-solving. The company’s adoption by 350+ healthcare systems validates this approach.
Soni’s candid admission about being “a poor CEO” initially is refreshing in an industry often dominated by founder mythology. His emphasis on emotional intelligence and the “romantic” nature of entrepreneurship provides a more honest framework for understanding AI startup success than purely technical or business metrics. As AI continues transforming industries, this human-centered perspective on building transformative companies becomes increasingly valuable.
Why This Matters
Soni’s story illuminates critical trends at the intersection of AI innovation and healthcare transformation. His journey from Big Tech to AI healthcare startup reflects a broader movement of experienced technologists applying AI to solve real-world problems in traditionally underserved sectors.
The success of Suki’s $295 million valuation demonstrates growing investor confidence in AI-powered healthcare solutions, particularly voice-based interfaces that reduce administrative burden on medical professionals. This addresses a critical pain point in healthcare: physician burnout caused by excessive documentation requirements.
Soni’s early recognition that voice would become the default interface while building Moto X’s always-on voice system in 2012 proved prescient. His foresight highlights how AI voice technology has evolved from experimental features to mission-critical healthcare infrastructure serving 350+ healthcare systems.
The candid discussion of founder struggles—emotional regulation, loneliness, and the “romantic” rather than rational nature of entrepreneurship—provides valuable insights for the next generation of AI founders. As AI continues disrupting industries, understanding the human cost and rewards of building transformative AI companies becomes increasingly important for the ecosystem’s sustainability.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/left-big-tech-job-startup-founder-ai-2025-2