Breaking Prod Podcast

Vivek Nigam

Breaking Prod is the no-fluff tech podcast where curious builders break down real-world systems—and themselves—to rebuild smarter, stronger, and more human. It's a home for anyone who's building, breaking, or just figuring it out.

  1. Jan 30

    The Economics of Running Hackathons in India | Breaking Prod #14

    There are two places I have stopped going to now, not because i dislike them but more because they mess up my sleep schedule and don't provide much value to me now as they did when I was younger. Those two places are - loud party clubs and developer hackathons!Siddharth is the founder of one of India's largest hackathons, called Hack This Fall https://hackthisfall.tech and I sat down with him to understand how it all works behind the scenes. This means the economics of a hackathon, allocating and creating budgets, what do sponsors need, and how do scaling it to 10k+ hackers and developers over the past 5 years.00:00 Siddharth is here00:55 An innovative first hackathon08:18 Philosophy of a Hacker Experience12:00 v0 of Hack This Fall (HTF)16:33 Planning a Hackathon20:48 All about money and budgets24:19 Dealing with big sponsors27:00 Unit economics of a hackathon31:09 The toxic culture of sleep deprivation34:27 Reasons to continue this path37:20 Looking at the future of HTFFind Siddharth On 👨‍💻- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/siddharth_hacks/- X https://twitter.com/siddharth_hacks- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthdayalwal/Find Me On 👋- X https://twitter.com/viveknigam_- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/viveknigam3003- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/viveknigam3003/- Website and blogs https://www.viveknigam.io/Breaking Prod is your window to the Indian Tech Scene. It's a running documentation project of the stories, observations, insights, and experiences of people building tech in India.

    39 min
  2. 09/17/2025

    Your Coding Skills Expire in 3 Years | Breaking Prod Podcast #13

    In this third and final episode of our "Standing Out as a Developer" mini-series, we dive deep with founding engineer and Criclang creator Manthan Gupta into the art of continuous learning while juggling a day job. With AI reshaping the industry and technical skills becoming obsolete faster than ever, this episode is a masterclass on staying ahead of the curve.In this episode: - Why junior engineer roles are decreasing with AI advancement - The "algorithm hacking" strategy for curating your learning feed - Building a learning funnel. - The single word that can transform your upskilling approach - Research papers as your secret weapon for cutting-edge insights - How to approach mentors the right way (and avoid generic advice) - Project-based learning lessons from building Criclang in 20 days - Why you need to stop relying on your job for knowledge growthchapters 00:00 In this episode 01:03 Breaking Prod intro 01:27 The upskilling crisis in AI era 03:05 AI impact on junior engineers 03:37 "Deer in headlight" moment 08:21 Algorithm hacking masterclass 09:13 Curating your feed for tech discovery 10:01 The learning funnel strategy 11:05 The power of asking "WHY" 12:02 International interview insights 12:46 Research papers: The hidden hack 14:03 How to approach research papers 15:09 Reading books the right way 16:16 Project-based learning approach 16:55 Criclang: 20-day programming language 18:13 Breaking the "it's too hard" mindset 18:25 Swift Mac app project example 20:26 Finding the right mentors 21:01 Mentor misconceptions 21:29 How to approach mentors correctly 22:24 Showing up and building reputation 23:04 AI tools lowering learning barriers 24:03 Final advice: Stop relying on your job 24:25 Asking "WHY" as a superpowerManthan's Socials - Twitter https://twitter.com/manthanguptaa - GitHub https://github.com/manthanguptaa - CricLang https://manthanguptaa.in/posts/criclang/ - Website https://manthanguptaa.in/Manthan's latest AI Project - https://manthanguptaa.in/posts/water/Vivek's Socials - Twitter https://twitter.com/viveknigam_ - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/viveknigam3003 - Website and blogs https://www.viveknigam.io/About Breaking Prod Breaking Prod is the no-fluff tech podcast where curious builders break down real-world systems—and themselves—to rebuild smarter, stronger, and more human. It's a home for anyone who's building, breaking, or just figuring it out.

    26 min
  3. 09/15/2025

    Remove your fear of posting online with Manthan Gupta | Breaking Prod Podcast #11

    In this first episode of our “Standing Out as a Developer” mini-series, Vivek chats with founding engineer and Criclang creator Manthan Gupta about the art of getting noticed without the cringe.Manthan breaks down: - how every job he’s landed started with a tweet thread - using Twitter & LinkedIn as a living resume. - mindset for showcasing your work to the world - cheat code to get confidence on your workand much more.Chapters 00:00 in this episode 00:24 about this mini-series 02:11 authentic personal branding 06:52 network effects of posting online 08:15 unlocking opportunities 10:24 easiest way to post online 12:44 building presence inside a company 15:49 cheat code for getting approvals 17:08 understanding your audience 19:53 start doing this todayManthan's Socials - Twitter https://twitter.com/manthanguptaa - GitHub https://github.com/manthanguptaa - CricLang https://manthanguptaa.in/posts/criclang/ - Website https://manthanguptaa.in/Manthan's latest AI Project - https://manthanguptaa.in/posts/water/Vivek's Socials - Twitter https://twitter.com/viveknigam_ - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/viveknigam3003 - Website and blogs https://www.viveknigam.io/About Breaking Prod Breaking Prod is the no-fluff tech podcast where curious builders break down real-world systems—and themselves—to rebuild smarter, stronger, and more human. It's a home for anyone who's building, breaking, or just figuring it out.

    23 min

About

Breaking Prod is the no-fluff tech podcast where curious builders break down real-world systems—and themselves—to rebuild smarter, stronger, and more human. It's a home for anyone who's building, breaking, or just figuring it out.