I'm a YouTube creator with 1.7M+ subs making videos on upskilling, business and AI. The goal is to help people make a living doing what they love.

I also run MarkitUp, a marketing agency based in Bengaluru helping brands grow on social with organic and shareable content. MarkitUp has worked with 40+ brands, from individuals and startups to publicly listed enterprises in India and companies in US & UK.

I co-authored Unlocking Unicorn Secrets with a mission to uncover stories of 20 Unicorn founders in India, from childhood to building a billion dollar company. These include Ritesh Agarwal of OYO, Nikhil Kamath & Nithin Kamath of Zerodha, Ghazal & Varun Alagh of Mamaearth among others. The book was published by Penguin on 15th August 2023 and went on to become an Amazon Bestseller, selling over 10,000 copies.

I've also delivered 40+ speeches at colleges across the India including IITs, NITs and many more. I've also done corporate sessions on AI with brands like HP, Lenovo, etc.


Ishan Sharma

Satya Nadella failed his Microsoft Interview.

WHY? He couldn't answer THIS question...

In the 1990s, when Satya was interviewing to work at Microsoft as a developer, he passed every round there was. Solved every coding question with his problem solving skills optimizing time and data.

But then came the final HR round.

The question? What would you do if you see an infant baby crying in the middle of the road?

He said "I'll run up to the phone booth and call 911".

The recruiter ended the meeting and walked him out.

Satya was shocked. Upon asking the recruiter, he said "If you see a crying baby, the first thing you do is pick up and hug them before calling anyone. You need empathy"

Empathy.
Satya eventually got the job but this word stayed with him forever.

Instilling empathy in everything he did at the company. Hearing everyone's POV and creating an inclusive culture. Asking deeper questions, taking feedback and making people feel seen.

I was at the Microsoft office in Redmond recently and I could see it all around me. People being allowed to express themselves freely and collaborating on tasks. That's how they do the best work of their lives. I've learned this lesson as I work on building my team at MarkitUp. Since we're a content company full of creatives, we call it creative honesty.

I love this quote I recently read:

We're not thinking machines that feel.
We are feeling machines that think.

Thoughts?

19 hours ago | [YT] | 2,109

Ishan Sharma

Imagine this:

You're sitting in business class, realizing that all of your hard work and sacrifice have finally paid off.

You have the freedom to decide where and how you want to spend your time and are travelling the world with your family and friends.

This is not just a dream anymore.

You've turned it into reality. Celebrate your wins, be proud of yourself, and don't let anyone talk you out of your own dreams.

It took me 5 years, 1000s of videos and consistent effort to get here.

Comment 🔥 if you agree and are also working on your dreams everyday. Let's grow together.🚀

I spent the last week in San Francisco, attending Google IO, visiting offices of openai, scale ai, lindy ai, and many more, meeting driven founders and most importantly having fun with friends.

I was at Stanford yesterday. In the Graduate School of Business area, there was a quote written on the floor by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike which struck me:

There comes a time in every life when the past recedes and the future opens. It's the moment when you turn to face the unknown. Some will turn back to what they already know. Some will walk straight ahead into uncertainty. I can't tell you which one is right. But I can tell you which one is more fun.

Which path will you choose?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 5,091

Ishan Sharma

Google I/O in 20mins: https://youtu.be/X47WheUD1sA

I just came back from Google IO 2025

My mind is officially blown away.

One thing is clear, Google has slowly taken over the AI world with its latest suite of AI tools like:
NotebookLM
Google AI Studio
Firebase Studio
Vertex AI
And more!

Today, Google unveiled some INSANE updates to Gemini and other projects.

Their tagline was Research to Reality. And they meant it.

Most research papers never make it out. Google turned it into consumer apps that millions like me and you can use.

Watch today's video to learn about the latest updates and use it to upskill and get more productive.

Share it with a friend.

What a time to be alive!

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 3,366

Ishan Sharma

Super excited to be flying to San Francisco AGAIN!🤯

This time, I'm shooting something really cool with OpenAI.

I owe it all to content and your support. This is what makes me fly around the world and work with the biggest companies.

Will be in SF 19-25th May.

This is my 6th trip to SF in less than a year but I always get fired up about San Francisco, it's a small city and within a 7mile radius, you get to meet everyone from a Sam Altman to Elon Musk to the best AI companies and VCs.

It has the highest concentration of the smartest minds working on the world's biggest problems.

Unlike New York, it's not about who you know or how much money you have. It's simply about building something useful and doing it at scale. All fame, recognition, money follows later.

This combined with greenery, the mountains, the beaches, the parks, the ocean scenes is something you won't get in any other city.

Excited to be there again.

Stay tuned for the crazy upcoming videos :)

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 5,108

Ishan Sharma

5 years ago, I started making videos on YouTube.

The best decision I ever made.

Go all in🚀

Thanks to outlook magazine for the story🙏

1 month ago | [YT] | 3,879

Ishan Sharma

What do you follow me here for?

I want to create better videos for you all.

Hence I want to first find out what is it that you expect from me.

Are you interested in watching AI Tools and news videos? I've been making these recently but it doesn't seem to get much interest from you all.

Do you love the podcasts I do?

Or is it the freelancing and upskilling and self development content that you like the most?

Or something completely different?

Tell me below in the comments.

I want to understand you better.

So that I can help you through my videos.

I'll read every comment below.🙏

1 month ago | [YT] | 394

Ishan Sharma

I'm hiring full time video editors at my marketing company!

Location: Bengaluru

Salary: 40K - 80K base per month + 1% profit share

JD: Editing reels, youtube videos, teasers, etc

Must be proficient with Premiere Pro/Final Cut Pro/Da Vinci Resolve

*NOT FOR STUDENTS
Apply ONLY if you live in Bengaluru or are willing to relocate here.

Apply now: forms.gle/wMMChgzG8czKFWYTA

1 month ago | [YT] | 3,971

Ishan Sharma

Meeting Javed Akhtar & AR Rahman was unreal! Absolute legends.🙏

Thanks to Apple for organising the MAMI Select and bringing everyone together under one roof to celebrate film making and storytelling.

Also met Aditi & Siddharth again after the iPhone 16 launch event in Cupertino.

This day has been nothing but dreamy for me.✨

I shot a podcast with Amrita Bagchi & Chanakya Vyas, makers of the short films Tinctoria and Mangya.

They shared everything they've learned about storytelling, videography, sound design, editing and more. Had a gem of a conversation with them. Coming out soon.

#ShotOniPhone

1 month ago | [YT] | 5,233

Ishan Sharma

Just gave a talk at IIT Delhi!

18 year old Ishan who failed JEE Advanced would be proud today.

5 years. That's all it took.

Talked about using AI tools to

- automate sales
- marketing
- content
- market research

and build apps fast.

can't wait for you to see it

Grateful🙏

1 month ago | [YT] | 4,760

Ishan Sharma

Podcast alert🚨🚨

Ft. Sabeer Bhatia who co-founded Hotmail and sold it to Microsoft for $400M

I feel so blessed to get the chance to meet epic people and I try my best to distill the learnings and takeaways from them.

Had an in-depth conversation with him about problem solving, critical thinking, solving education system, using AI, finding a idea for your startup and soo much more!

Can't wait for you to hear this.

Coming soon!

2 months ago | [YT] | 3,577