People: CEO of The Weather Company
Veteran corporate executive ROHIT AGARWAL talks about his journey from SVP at AOL to the leader of this weather forecasting giant, which impacts 360 million lives daily.
Understanding people—not just their habits or choices but why they do what they do—drives Rohit Agarwal. This skill just earned him the CEO seat at The Weather Company. In a candid virtual talk with Khabar magazine, Agarwal shares how growing up in an Indian immigrant home taught him to read data and human behavior, a combination that became his superpower in tech.
His unexpected pivot from medicine to psychology in college proved to be prescient, merging scientific thinking with insights into human motivation. Like many children of Indian immigrants, he inherited a worldview that combined patience with perseverance and data with vision. These dual influences shaped his approach to creating products that people use every day.
Journey from product expert to CEO
For two decades, Agarwal has navigated market shifts and human behavior with the precision of a master chess player. His expertise spans tech, banking, and media—each role sharpening his ability to anticipate trends before they emerge. His journey is a timeline of industry evolution that unfolds like a roadmap of digital transformation.
From AOL to Last.fm to Trustpilot to HSBC to every other position that he has held, he has refined his talent for seeing around corners and predicting where markets and consumers would move next. As Senior Vice President at AOL, Agarwal redefined how millions consumed content by shaping digital products during the internet’s formative years. As interim General Manager at Last.fm, he contributed to pioneering music streaming. At CNN, he guided product strategy at a time when newsrooms were racing to establish their digital presence, playing a pivotal role in revolutionizing digital news consumption. At SoundCloud, he drove product innovation and revenue growth. Each role reinforced his ability to identify market gaps and create solutions before others even recognized the opportunity.
“When I did business-to-business and direct-toconsumer product management, it was about understanding consumers—solving problems in ways that are both exciting and delightful,” he explains. This customer-first mindset became his signature strength. Where emerging tech met untapped markets, Agarwal found innovative ways to bridge the gap.
Now, as CEO of The Weather Company, he leads platforms that impact 360 million lives daily and ensures the company remains at the forefront of technological innovation.
How being raised in an Indian American home shaped his leadership
As a child of Indian American immigrants, Agarwal speaks of how his parents’ mentality formed his foundation. “They questioned things a lot, found solutions to problems, and drove performance better,” he says. These weren’t just parental habits—they were survival skills that they expertly learned and then imparted to their children.
This story extends beyond his family. Those who immigrated from India brought with them the highest educational standards and a measured approach to challenges. “The competition and chaos make them adaptable problem-solvers,” Agarwal notes. These immigrants often prioritized professional excellence over personal comfort, thriving in America’s demanding corporate culture.
Agarwal reflects on what sets many Indian-American leaders apart: their patience in navigating complexity. They bring a measured approach to scaling organizations, which is particularly valuable in today’s global business landscape. “India’s diverse society, with so many customs and languages, gives Indian-born managers the ability to navigate complex situations.”
How his early experience with AI shaped his vision for the future
Long before AI became a buzzword, Agarwal was part of its origins in the music industry. During AOL’s formative years, his team pioneered data scraping and predictive algorithms. “We were the original AI company in the music space,” he says, recalling the early days of recommendation engines and user pattern analysis. That experience at AOL led him to Last.fm, another AI pioneer in music tech, where he pushed the boundaries of data-driven music discovery.
The journey through SoundCloud and other music tech giants gave him a front-row seat to AI’s evolution. “It was an opportunity to grow up in a space already thinking about and using generative data,” he reflects. This deep background in AI shapes his current vision at The Weather Company, where he’s finding more compelling ways to personalize weather forecasts through AI tools while keeping a clear eye on purpose. “AI makes dialogue with customers efficient, but you have to know where to apply it and why. On the business level, it drives efficiency. On the consumer level, it’s about choice and personalization.”
Who shaped his leadership approach?
Ralph Rivera, his AOL mentor, now with NBA Europe, taught him that “context and perspective are everything.” Bill McGrath showed him how to lead from behind—listening matters more than being right. These mentors shaped his philosophy: unleash talent, encourage thinking beyond parameters, and let curiosity drive innovation.
What strategies define his success?
“Step by step,” he says. When there’s a massive mission, drive methodically and systematically. Play the long game.” In an era of quick exits, Agarwal takes the long view. His approach is to build great teams, work with technology and scientists, and “reimagine how to help people every day.”
His perspective on DEI initiatives: a balance between merit and diversity
On diversity, Agarwal cuts through the rhetoric with a real-world example: “Put five 50-year-old Indian males in a room. They tell the same jokes. They share the same life experiences. They have the same blind spots.” This is good for camaraderie, he notes, but not for innovation.
His team at The Weather Company proves this point. Storm scientists work alongside community experts, technical minds mesh with communication specialists, and a diversity of backgrounds sparks new solutions. Thus, it’s better for businesses to have more diverse teams.
The results show in the numbers—companies with diverse leadership have 69 percent of employees rating their work environment as motivating. That number is 43 percent in companies without it. “From storm science to community impact, diverse teams drive better outcomes,” Agarwal says. His approach: hire for merit and seek varied perspectives. Both matter. Both deliver results.
What drives him
“Impact,” Agarwal says without hesitation. “From millions planning their days through our apps to thousands of businesses making smarter decisions with our data—we’re not just predicting weather, we’re protecting lives.”
Beyond his corporate roles, Agarwal serves as a board director at the Atlanta-based education nonprofit, Leap Year. This is another way he delivers on his core belief: success isn’t just about climbing ladders; it’s about building bridges for others to cross. In the end, his story shows that leadership isn’t about where you started but how many people you help succeed along the way.
Neha Negandhi is a freelance writer and a public speaking coach specializing in storytelling. For more, check out NehaNegandhi.com.
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
