From Nepal to Microsoft
Lessons on Innovation, Humility, and Breaking Down Silos
Innovation is critical to global peace and sustainability—just as vital as diplomacy or development work. But what is innovation? It’s easy to picture a lone genius, like Einstein at a chalkboard. Yet today, innovation looks more like a conversation—a connection of ideas across unexpected boundaries, enriched by diverse perspectives. It’s about being an Everyday Ambassador, bridging the silos of ideas to create something new.
Meet Amanda Snelliger: Innovating Innovation
Amanda Snelliger, an anthropologist in the Chief Technology Officer’s Office at Microsoft, has mastered the art of connecting technology to human experience. Her mission? Ensuring shiny new digital tools solve real human problems. She coaches tech teams to design humane, integrated solutions—essentially innovating the innovation process itself.
Amanda describes her role as a “translator” between engineers and everyday users. Before joining the tech world, she lived in Nepal, studying student activists who used mobile technology to fight for democracy. She speaks Nepali and Hindi, and chronicled her findings in Making New Nepal: From Student Activism to Mainstream Politics (available here).
Lessons from Nepal: Bridging Hope and Reality
Amanda’s time in Nepal wasn’t without challenges. While documenting political activism, she discovered the biases of the activists she admired. “I was reaching out to the student politicians I had worked with, asking about the rights of minorities in the south. But they didn’t show much concern.” This disillusionment taught her humility and a deeper understanding of human complexity.
“It wasn’t my movement, but I had carried their aspirations. It was a bit naïve. I’ve grown, but it’s still something I struggle with,” she reflects.
Translating Technology into Human Solutions
Fast forward to Microsoft, where Amanda now works in the incubation studio, exploring groundbreaking technologies. Her role involves questioning assumptions: Who are the users? What are their lives like? Will this solution work in their context?
In one project, engineers proposed streamlining fashion manufacturing for small designers. But Amanda discovered that the industry lacked the automation needed to implement the technology. Without context, the solution risked failure—or even harm. Her insights redirected the project, averting a potential misstep.
Amanda also brings engineers face-to-face with users, where lightbulb moments happen. She recalls a team watching users struggle to launch their carefully designed software: “They hadn’t thought about the very first step—opening the program! It was eye-opening for them.”
Takeaways: The Power of Translation
Amanda’s work highlights the value of bridging gaps between communities—whether between engineers and users or activists and policymakers. She embodies the Everyday Ambassador, translating across silos for meaningful impact.
Here’s Amanda’s advice for success in translation:
Adopt a beginner’s mindset. Respect the amateur perspective.
Get comfortable with the unknown. Curiosity thrives in uncertainty.
Talk to people. Listen deeply to their needs and experiences.
Stay humble. Acknowledge what you don’t know.
Navigating Doubt and Disappointment
Amanda’s reflections on disillusionment with activism are just as inspiring as her work in tech. She reminds us that doubts and disappointments are universal, whether in movements, institutions, or people we admire.
“Loss of faith is something we all struggle with. You have to make peace with it or set it aside. Meanwhile, I just want to live my life with integrity.”
Where in your life are you acting as a translator? What silos are you breaking down?
Where are you finding inspiration to keep moving forward, even when faced with disappointment, doubt, or even loss of faith?
Please share your stories in the comments!