You might know Sagar Rastogi (@rastogisagar123) from his helpful replies in Jamf Nation, or from some of his Tech Thoughts blogs (here, here and here). He’s a technical architect at TCS, and he was recently named a winner in the TCS Global AI Hackathon, the world’s largest AI hackathon with more than 280,000 participants across 58 countries. It’s a huge honor, so naturally we wanted to celebrate Sagar and share more info on his great achievements.
Standing Out in a Crowd of 280,000
The scale of the hackathon alone is impressive, but what stood out even more was how Sagar approached it. His winning submission was a completely self‑driven project: an end‑to‑end AI product roadmap designed to solve real‑time challenges across healthcare, finance, and energy. His ideas weren’t just creative, but they were grounded in scalability, ethics, compliance, and practical feasibility.
However, according to Sagar, innovation isn’t a solo act. It’s the shared momentum of a community pushing boundaries together. That mindset shows up clearly in his work. He didn’t just submit ideas; he submitted unique, well‑framed, and actionable solutions that addressed real problems companies face every day.
Three Lessons That Redefine How to Think About AI
Sagar shared three insights from his hackathon experience that feels relevant to anyone working in IT or device management:
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The Multi‑Agent Trap — Multi‑agent systems are trendy, but most problems don’t need them. Sagar estimates that 80% of challenges can be solved with a single smart agent paired with human judgment. Over‑engineering doesn’t make systems smarter—it makes them fragile.
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The 90/10 Rule — Ninety percent of AI success comes from defining the right problem. Only ten percent is about choosing the model. It’s a reminder that clarity and framing matter more than chasing the newest algorithm.
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Ethics as a Foundation — Trust, transparency, and oversight aren’t optional anymore. Sagar built ethics into every layer of his solution, reinforcing that responsible AI isn’t a feature—it’s the baseline.
These lessons map neatly onto the work Apple admins do every day. Whether you’re designing onboarding flows, managing macOS updates, or building out self‑service experiences, the same principles apply: don’t over‑architect, define the problem clearly, and build with trust in mind.
Where AI Meets Device Management
Outside the hackathon, Sagar’s day‑to‑day work will sound familiar. He manages macOS, iOS, and Android fleets using tools like Jamf, and he’s deeply involved in shaping secure, scalable device ecosystems.
Sagar described his hackathon win not as a finish line, but as fuel. A renewed commitment to building responsible, ethical AI that drives measurable impact. And honestly, that’s something our entire community can appreciate.
