My Journey with Rimo: From IIT Intern to Building AI driven technologies in Japan
Introduction
こんにちは！Rimo Anvent Calendar 2025 Day7を担当します。
I'm Devesh Gupta, and I recently graduated with an Integrated Master of Technology in Mathematics and Computing from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and currently I am working as a Software Engineer at Rimo LLC.
For this year's Rimo Advent Calendar, I'd like to share my journey—from being an intern in India to becoming a full-time engineer in Japan, and how working on AI-driven products has shaped both my technical skills and personal growth.
How It All Began
My connection with Rimo started during my pre-final year when I was selected for an internship. Those early months were filled with learning and excitement, and based on my performance, I received a PPO (Pre-Placement Offer). The team encouraged me to continue the internship, which eventually extended to nearly a full year.
During that time, I was juggling my college curriculum alongside my responsibilities at Rimo. Balancing both wasn't always easy, but it taught me discipline, time management, and a strong sense of ownership. More importantly, it gave me hands-on experience building real-world products—something textbooks could never teach.
Moving to Japan: A New Chapter With Amazing Support
Moving to Japan for my full-time role was one of the biggest transitions of my life. I was excited but also a little anxious—it was my first time working abroad, and I had questions: How will I adapt? Will I be able to showcase my skills effectively?
This transition was made incredibly smooth thanks to Otani-san from our HR team. He guided me through everything—visa procedures, documentation, travel arrangements, and settling down in a new city. His support helped me move with confidence instead of stress.
Once I arrived, everyday life taught me a lot. Living alone meant managing everything independently—cooking, maintaining my home, and balancing work schedules. But the Rimo members, with their helpful and friendly nature, made settling in much easier both culturally and professionally.
Building "Hey Rimo": My First Public Release
One of the most exciting milestones in my journey was working on the Hey Rimo bot with my colleagues Chahit and Anuj. This was my first contribution that went public, and I was incredibly fortunate and excited to showcase my work to Rimo's users.
Working on developing the Hey Rimo Bot introduced me to several new technologies. The biggest learning curve was understanding and integrating OpenAI's real-time API on the server side. Getting real-time conversational AI to work smoothly required deep diving into API documentation, handling edge cases, and optimizing latency—all while ensuring a seamless user experience.
The collaboration with Chahit and Anuj was fantastic. We brainstormed solutions, debugged together, and iterated quickly. Seeing Hey Rimo go live and knowing users were interacting with something I helped build—that feeling was incredible.
Learning AI-Driven Development at Rimo
At Rimo, we leverage AI extensively in our development process. What I found fascinating is how we approach AI—we don't just rely on one model. Instead, we refer to outputs from different AI systems, compare their responses, finalize the crux of each approach, and then implement the best solution. This comparative methodology taught me to think critically about AI outputs rather than blindly trusting them.
Another major learning area for me has been understanding microservices architecture and workflows. Coming from a more monolithic development background in college, learning how different services communicate, how to design scalable workflows, and how to maintain code modularity in a distributed system was eye-opening. These concepts are now foundational to how I approach engineering problems.
Learning from Leadership: User-Centric Thinking & Engineering Depth
Two people who have profoundly shaped my growth at Rimo are our CEO, Mr. Naoyoshi Aikawa, and our CTO, Mr. Yoshinobu Yamada.
What I admire most about Aikawa san is not only his strong product vision, but also how open and welcoming he is to ideas—no matter who they come from. In many companies, junior engineers rarely get the chance to propose new features. But here, he actively encourages us to contribute: whether it's suggesting improvements for the current existing systems, or even discussing interesting features we’ve seen on other platforms.
This culture of openness made me feel valued from day one. Knowing that my ideas matter—regardless of my experience—pushed me to think more creatively and boldly about product development.
His constant emphasis on user-centric thinking has also transformed the way I approach engineering. He encourages us to think beyond writing code: to imagine user interactions, to prioritize usability, and to build features that genuinely solve real user problems. His philosophy of “doubling every year” inspires me personally—if a company can grow 2x annually, why can’t an individual grow at the same pace?
On the other hand, Yamada san, our CTO, inspires me to think like a maker, not just a developer. He pushes us to understand problems deeply, propose scalable solutions, and consider long-term architectural impact. His mastery of the codebase, his structured thought process, and his exceptional debugging skills are things I truly admire. Working under his guidance has greatly boosted my confidence in system design, architecture, and technical communication.
He sets a high standard—one that motivates me every day to grow into an engineer who can think and execute with the same depth.
Growth Beyond Code
Working at Rimo has helped me grow in many dimensions:
Professional growth: tackling real engineering challenges, contributing to core AI features, and learning from talented peers
Personal growth: becoming self-reliant, managing life in Japan independently, and improving cross-cultural communication
Mindset shift: embracing challenges instead of fearing them, and pushing myself to improve every day
Each experience—whether debugging a tricky bug issue or cooking dinner after a long day—has shaped me into a more confident version of myself.
Looking Ahead
As I continue my journey with Rimo, my goals are clear:
Deepen my technical expertise in AI and distributed systems
Contribute more meaningfully to Rimo's AI-driven product development
Grow into roles with greater ownership and impact
Keep embracing the "double growth every year" mindset
Final Thoughts
My journey from being an intern in India to becoming a full-time engineer in Japan has been incredibly meaningful. I'm genuinely grateful to Otani-san, Aikawa san, Yamada san, and every Rimo member who has supported and guided me.
To anyone navigating similar paths—balancing studies and work, adapting to new cultures, or building AI products—it's not always easy, but every challenge opens the door to growth.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to learning, building, and growing even more with my wonderful team at Rimo! 🚀
Day8の記事はこちら▼
AIと働く新米PdMが自分のペインを機能に落とし込むまでの道のり～AIに任せられること、まだ難しかったこと～