10 Questions with Karen Ouk
Chief Business Officer at mode.ai
Karen Ouk is currently the Chief Business Officer at mode.ai, a seed-staged start-up in the business of building AI visual conversational commerce bots for retailers. She works alongside the CEO to build and run the business, which includes developing and executing on the business plan, negotiating contracts and establishing partnerships, hiring and setting up employee benefits, and managing the company’s day-to-day operations.
Prior to mode.ai, she spent 13+ years leading business development and partnerships for new product launches at Google/Alphabet, spanning from publishing and local shopping/commerce, to Google[x] and life sciences. She enjoys navigating ambiguity to support new business development for consumer products and thrives in fast paced environments.
Karen and her husband have 3 kids (aged 7, 11, and 14), 4 chickens, and 3 bunnies. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, exercising (swimming and occasionally participating in Spartan Races), and eating delicious food (everything from In ‘n Out to sushi and Michelin star restaurants).
- When did you know you wanted to be in tech?
Tech wasn’t my intended career path, since I don’t have a technical degree. However, I ended up working at Google early in my career and never looked back. When I finished my Economics degree, I was not interested in a career in investment banking, finance, or consulting, where most of my peers ended up working. I thought I wanted to pursue a degree in culinary arts, but those plans didn’t pan out when I got rejected from the top culinary schools due to lack of “hands-on experience”.
At that time, I heard that Charlie Ayers (previously the personal chef for the Grateful Dead) was working as a chef at a new company called Google. Not many people had heard of it in 2003, but a dorm mate in my hall was working for Google part-time so I had heard that they were a cool company offering free food and cool swag. What could be more appealing to a college student? I started working at Google part-time during my senior year, later leading operations policy for the launch of AdSense Online. Before I started working at Google, I didn’t think someone with a non-technical background could contribute and make an impact at a tech company. However, I soon discovered that there are so many career opportunities and so much to learn within the tech industry. It has been an exciting 15 years and I look forward to seeing how the tech industry and my role in it continues to evolve.
2. Who is a role model that you look up to?
My mother was an inspirational role model for me growing up. Highly ambitious with a strong work ethic and grit, she excelled in her career and became a C-level executive in a male-dominant industry. She accomplished so much while still prioritizing her family and friends, and making sure that my sister and I had access to great education and diverse life experiences.
“Highly ambitious with a strong work ethic and grit, [my mother] excelled in her career and became a C-level executive in a male-dominant industry.”
3. Where is your hometown?
I have lived in many different places and have family all over the world, so I don’t consider just one place my hometown. However, since most of my family lives in Hong Kong currently, I call that my home.
4. What’s a challenge that you’ve faced in your journey?
When I had my first child in 2004 not long after I started my career, I had a really hard time balancing the demands of caring for a newborn with my desire to advance and excel in my career. At that time, California was still in the early stages of passing laws that provided women with places to pump outside of bathrooms (I still recall many pumping sessions inside bathroom stalls), so committing to breastfeeding wasn’t as easy as it is today. I also had some unsupportive managers, which discouraged me and made things particularly tough early on in my career.
“When I had my first child in 2004, not long after I started my career, I had a really hard time balancing the demands of caring for a newborn with my desire to advance and excel in my career.”
Financially, I was in the red every month while paying for childcare and housing expenses and only earning a $30k salary. However, I had endured some challenges earlier on which made me very resilient. I tackled obstacles one day at a time and managed to get through those rough first years. Whenever things get hard in life, I often think back to those years and remind myself that if I could succeed when all odds were against me, working in tech in the Bay Area, then I can overcome any challenges that life presents.
5. Describe a time you were proud of yourself.
In my personal life, my proudest moments were when I became a parent to each of my 3 kids. Pregnancy was a very tough 40 weeks (times 3). However, parenting has been, and I suspect will continue to be, the most challenging and rewarding part of my life.
Professionally, I’m really proud to have been part of the launch team of Made With Code, Google’s $50M initiative aimed at getting girls inspired, excited, and active in computer science. It’s a cause I really believe in and hope that it’ll make a big impact on growing the pipeline of girls who pursue computer science in college, and subsequently help to contribute to the diversity in tech.
6. What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?
I’ve been thinking a lot about how many highly-qualified women there are (here in the Bay Area and elsewhere), who have taken time off during maternity leave or for other personal reasons, and end up having a very difficult time finding a role in tech. These women want to make an impact by contributing to the tech industry, but our society is really not well set up to provide the resources and support they need to balance work and life demands. I’m thinking about ways that I can help with tackling this problem.
7. Favorite food?
Sushi. In particular, uni (sea urchin).
8. Mac or PC?
Mac.
9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?
American Ninja Warrior athlete.
10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?
Study something you’re really passionate about, even if the future career path is not clear. Pursuing something you love and are passionate about will help you persevere through the roller coaster ride ahead.
