← Rajeshkanna Viswanathan
Blog

Essays and notes

Thoughts on embedded and safety-critical engineering, edge AI, space, automotive and drones, and on the human side of building things: teams, trust, and how we work.

July 2026 · Space and industry

The New Space Race Is About Payload: US, China, and India's Rise

Whoever lifts mass to orbit cheapest holds the foundation of the space economy. How SpaceX, China, and India's private wave are opening access, and what it sparks for the world.

Read →
July 2026 · Embedded and AI

Embedded Is Becoming Embedded AI: Where We Fit in the Next Five Years

Intelligence is moving to the edge. Why running AI on constrained, safety-critical hardware is an embedded problem, and where embedded engineers fit in the next five years.

Read →
July 2026 · Teams and leadership

Say No, but Say It Well: The Skill of Raising Your Hand

Learning to say no and flag when something is wrong is essential, especially in safety-critical work. But being right is only half the job. How you convey it decides whether it lands.

Read →
July 2026 · Work and culture

Grow Together or Not at All: Trust Between Employer and Employee

When employer and employee stop trusting each other, both the company and the person stop growing. Why their growth is one shared account, and who builds the bridge that keeps it whole.

Read →
July 2026 · Teams and leadership

Triage the Conflict: A Priority-Based Way to Handle Team Disagreement

Engineers triage bugs by severity all day, then freeze when the problem is between two people. Conflict is just another issue: surface it, prioritise it honestly, and clear the ones that matter.

Read →
July 2026 · Life in Germany

B2 Is Not Fluency: Language, Work, and Integration in Germany

A certificate and a language are not the same thing. Why employers in Germany keep asking for C1, and why real proficiency comes from integration and daily use, not another exam.

Read →
July 2026 · Engineering and AI

The Real Problem With AI Is Not That It Is Wrong

AI is not replacing engineers. It is handing us the job we are most tempted to skip: validation. Why experience matters more, and why over-relying on unchecked output is the real risk.

Read →
July 2026 · Drones and autonomy

Small Drones and the Last Mile: Where Germany Stands

Is Germany building small delivery drones, and does smaller and lighter actually pay off? An honest look at the energy, labour and safety-critical autonomy behind drone delivery.

Read →
July 2026 · Industry perspective

Not Decline, but Restructuring: Where German Automotive Goes Next

The German car industry is not fading, it is going through its deepest restructuring in a century. Why its safety and quality DNA fits the EV and software-defined future.

Read →
July 2026 · Safety-critical engineering

Certification and Speed Are Not a Trade-Off

Safety certification and product velocity are not opposites. Build the safety case one honest increment at a time, alongside the product, and rigor becomes a speed tool.

Read →
July 2026 · Product strategy

Build or Buy: What to Own in a Hardware Product

Off-the-shelf parts are the right call for what does not differentiate you. A balanced look at what a hardware product should own, and what it should buy.

Read →
July 2026 · Engineering culture

Build First: Why Slides and Spreadsheets Delay Product Development

Planning artifacts feel like progress, but in hardware the real unknowns only show up when you build. A case for the prototype-first mindset.

Read →