I Am Miriam Daniel, VP of Echo & Alexa and I Am a Parent.
Miriam Daniel is one of the creative minds of Amazon Echo (voice-activated speaker) and Alexa (digital assistant), innovations that have changed the way we interact with the world around us. With a background in computer engineering, she has worked for Amazon, Intel and other companies, bringing new products and features that surprise and delight consumers. As a product manager, she is a firm believer in what we innovate to simplify or change people’s lives.
Name : Miriam Daniel
Location : Cupertino, California
Position : Vice President, Amazon Echo and Alexa Devices
Family : My husband Arul; daughter Andrea, who is 19 years old; son Ashton, who is 17; and Caesar, our Bichon Frize.
Tell us a little about your family and your career. Was life mostly according to plan, or were there any surprises?
Life never goes according to plan, which many other parents would agree with. During my first interview with Intel, my 3-month-old daughter sat on my lap and fell ill – I had to call the interviewer back! If it’s not a working parent, I don’t know what it is. However, I did get a job and worked at Intel for 14 years before joining Amazon four and a half years ago.
We are a typical busy family with two teenagers. We don’t have the ability to plan ahead, so there are always surprises. At best, we focus on the coming week, juggling business trips, taking kids to fencing competitions, going to boarding, picking up passengers and everything in between. In the midst of it all, we created our own little family traditions with our circle of friends in the Bay Area, grandparents in India, and keeping families and friends safe. No matter where we are, we always have time for birthdays, holidays, Indian festivals, annual outings, summer barbecues, beach visits and weddings in India.
Looking back over the years, I am most surprised that, despite the insanely busy parents, our children turned out to be solid, reasonable and cheerful. They learned to laugh when we made our worst parenting mistakes – I forgot to pick up the kids from school and of course I didn’t eat on the table every night. They tell their friends stories about how I fed them food in vending machines and took them to meet with Intel executives, or how my husband got stuck in an elevator for several hours during a fencing competition. Kids have learned to take these things calmly and get the most out of every situation – in fact, when Mom and Dad get nervous, they now tell us not to worry! It’s nice to know that we have raised self-sufficient children and that they will survive without us.
What’s your favorite part of the day?
My favorite part of the day these days is when I pick up my son after fencing practice, usually around 21:30. I travel to Seattle almost every week, so I can only do it twice a week or so. This is the only time of the day when we are in no hurry to go somewhere and can talk about everything and everything. Sometimes we just listen to his favorite music and I start dancing at the traffic lights. Sometimes, when he doesn’t roll his eyes, he starts dancing with me, and we both laugh well.
Has being a parent changed the way you work?
Definitely. In the early years when I was building my career, I structured my time almost to level T. I worked from 8:00 to 18:00, was with the children from 18:00 to 21:00 to help with homework, delivered them to class or put them to bed, and then return to the laptop to work until midnight. My kids are getting older these days, so they don’t need me to help with their homework or put them to bed, but I still try to make the most of my time at home. I want to spend as much time with them as possible before they go to college or, in my daughter’s case, return to school after recess.
It is important for parents to remember that you can give in to children a little. There were times when I, of course, had to ask my kids to compromise – late check-in to school, pizza for dinner, etc., but there were also times when I quit my job and left because my kids needed me.
Since my son was nine, my husband and I have had to combine work and travel with our son to national and international fencing competitions. Earlier this year, he traveled a lot alone and fell ill. I called my boss and told her that I needed to go with him. I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t. She said one word: “Go.” I spent five weeks on the road meeting with representatives from airports, hotels and sports centers in Bratislava, Budapest, Rome, etc., while supporting him on the fencing lane. At the time, I often told myself that if he can handle school, stressful travel, jet lag and competition pressure, then I can handle the job and be there for him during his competition.
What’s your favorite technique for staying in the moment when things start to feel overwhelming?
I start to clean up. It relieves stress for me, and my family knows to leave me alone when I start taking cleaning products. Recently I started Barre3 classes, which gives me a few hours each week to be attentive and up to date. It’s safe to say that my family would like me to discover Barre sooner.
What gadgets, apps, charts, or tools do you rely on?
We have a family calendar where we all record our appointments – travel schedules, competitive schedules, flight schedules, and doctor appointments. We have Echo Show devices all over the house, so these encounters appear in all of our rooms and are hard to miss. We also rely heavily on Life360 . When my son is traveling alone or when my daughter is studying abroad for a semester in Spain, Life360 keeps us sane. As long as we know where they are, we have nothing to worry about.
What does your evening routine look like?
We don’t have a special schedule because we all come home at different times. When we’re all at home together, we have dinner and watch Seinfeld, Friends, or Crazy. It makes us all laugh.
The only thing I would like to say to other parents who are pursuing a career:
Don’t try to do everything alone – build a village. Our saving grace was our neighbor, Mr. George. Once I was desperate because our plans for the evening transfer had failed. I ran up to Mr. George and asked him if he could help me and he kindly agreed. Nine years later, he is still helping us. Children love him, and without his presence in our lives, we could not have survived in a family and a difficult career.