In a story of grit and determination, Ershad Kunnakkadan, a middle-class Kerala techie has become CEO of San Francisco-based e-commerce company Gumroad at the age of 33 just months after relocating to New York City.
An employee at Gumroad, a company generating over $100 million in merchandise volume, since 2020, Kunnakkadan rose through the ranks and took over the top job after founder Sahil Lavingia stepped down.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Kunnakkadan started his career as a developer intern in 2012, became a software engineer in 2013, and worked remotely before moving full-time to Gumroad.
“Exciting news: after 14 years, I’m stepping down as CEO of Gumroad,” Lavingia posted on X announcing Kunnakkadan’s elevation. “I’ve found the perfect leader to take over for me: Ershad Kunnakkadan. (While he just moved to NYC this year, he’s been with Gumroad remotely for 8 of those 14 years).”
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“Thank you, Sahil Lavingia, for the foundation, the guidance, the example, and for trusting me with this new role. I’m super excited and honoured,” Kunnakkadan responded. “So proud of the team and ready to serve our creators even more!”
Kunnakkadan’s professional journey began much earlier, according to a report in Mathrubhumi. He first entered the tech world in 2012 as a developer intern. By the following year, he advanced to a software engineering position.
Rather than pursuing education through conventional routes, he completed a degree remotely from Bharathiar University while continuing to strengthen his technical skills. He also took part in the Google Summer of Code, which added significant depth to his portfolio.
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Over time, he worked with BigBinary and Bang the Table, gradually expanding his expertise. During this phase, he also contributed voluntarily to Swathanthra Malayalam Computing, reflecting his long-standing commitment to open-source communities.
After initially collaborating with Gumroad as a consultant, he later joined full-time, first remotely and eventually relocating between regions-including the UAE-before becoming an essential part of the company.
Entrepreneur Deedy Das recounted Kunnakkadan’s life through a series of snapshots illustrating the grit behind his story. Raised in a typical middle-income household, he studied in a government school in Kerala.
His fascination with technology began early, sparked when an older student introduced him to Ubuntu Linux. This new world inspired him to contribute to the Malayalam computing community, explore blogging, and immerse himself in open-source ecosystems.