Welcome to HackerNoon’s Meet the Writer Interview series, where we learn a bit more about the contributors that have written some of our favorite stories.

Let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi, I'm Gayathri. I'm a Software Quality Engineer who spends an unreasonable amount of time thinking about automation, testing, and why software behaves perfectly during demos but somehow doesn’t work in production.

I enjoy solving tricky problems, exploring open-source projects, judging hackathons, and writing about things that make engineers stop and say, "Wait... I've seen that happen before." Outside of tech, I love spending time with my daughter, exploring new places, and trying different foods. More often than not, my daughter comes up with a much better weekend plan than I do. When I do get a quiet moment, you'll usually find me reading, hunting for a good restaurant recommendation, or collecting ideas that eventually turn into articles.

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

My latest article was called "Stop Measuring Test Automation by the Bugs It Finds." was recognized as a HackerNoon Top Story

The idea came from something I've seen quite a few teams struggle with: measuring automation purely by defect counts.

If a test doesn't find a bug, people sometimes assume it didn't provide value. But automation does much more than that. It helps teams move faster, build confidence in releases, reduce repetitive work, and catch problems before they get expensive.

Basically, I wanted to defend automation from being treated like a bug-hunting scoreboard.

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

Pretty much.

Most of my writing sits somewhere between software quality, automation, reliability, and "why did this system do that?"

I'm fascinated by the gap between how systems are supposed to work and how they actually behave once real people, real environments, and real complexity get involved.

The topics change, but the theme is usually the same: understanding how software behaves beyond the happy path,and writing about it in a way other engineers can actually use

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

To be honest,I do not have any writing routine

Most articles start because something annoys me. Maybe it's a production issue, a technical debate, or an assumption that gets repeated so often that everyone accepts it as fact. I will usually write down notes throughout the week, argue with myself about whether the idea is interesting enough, and eventually open a document and start writing. The first draft is messy. The second draft is me deleting half of the first draft.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

The hardest part is deciding what not to include.

Engineers love details. I love details. But if I include every detail the article looks more of a textbook than article. I try to find the balance between being technical enough for someone experienced to learn something useful and simple enough that readers don’t feel like they accidentally opened a troubleshooting manual from 2007.And actually, naming the article is sometimes harder than writing it.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

I would like to grow beyond just building automation and get more involved in how teams think about quality and reliability in general. Technology keeps getting more complex, and I am genuinely interested in the decisions that happen before software ever reaches production, not just the testing after the fact. Between the engineering work, judging hackathons, contributing to open source, and writing, I am hoping to give back my learnings to other engineers instead of just fixing things inside my own team and moving on.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

My daughter has a talent for turning a quick trip to the store into a full-day adventure, and honestly, I am usually all for it. We go out for one thing and somehow come back hours later with snacks, stories, and absolutely none of the efficiency I originally planned for.

Yes…My current hobby is spending as much time as I can with my toddler and cooking her everything I learn from youtube 😆

If my notes app is any indication, probably more articles that started as a random question and somehow turned into a weekend obsession. I am always curious about the gap between how software is supposed to work and what actually happens when real users, real deadlines, and real world constraints get involved. So readers can expect more stories about automation, quality, reliability, and the occasional engineering mystery that refuses to leave me alone.

What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?

What I like most is that it feels approachable for engineers who have something useful to share but aren't full-time writers. There are a lot of places to publish online, but HackerNoon encourages practical stories and real experiences, which makes it easier for readers to connect with the content

As a newer contributor, its been exciting to see technical ideas reach a broader audience, get picked up as a Top Story, and start conversations with people I have never met

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

Stay curious.

Some of the most interesting things I have learned in engineering came from asking simple questions about things everyone else accepted as normal. Whether you're writing, building software, or debugging a difficult issue, there's usually something new to learn if you are willing to look a little deeper.

And if a system behaves perfectly in testing but mysteriously breaks in production... you're definitely not alone. 😄