The Brain Behind Microsoft Excel

From organizing grocery lists to solving the most complex algorithms, users everywhere know and love Microsoft Excel. Yair Helman, one of the leading minds behind the software, formed the foundation for his success at the Technion.

With a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering (1996), Helman leads Excel’s core engineering team at Microsoft’s development center in Herzliya, in the Tel Aviv District. Under his leadership, Israeli engineers — including many Technion graduates — are changing the way people around the world live and work.

Helman is part of a Technion family tradition that spans three generations. (His father holds a Ph.D. in Aeronautics, and his oldest child recently graduated with a B.Sc. in Computer Science.) Visiting the Technion with his father, Helman recalled collecting pine cones from beneath the campus’ soaring pine trees. When it was time to apply to college, the aspiring engineer submitted only one application.

“My decision to attend the Technion was obvious,” he said. “It’s simply the best place in Israel to study engineering.”

Through his career, Helman has drawn on the training he received at the University, where he learned to distinguish himself in a competitive environment.

“All the students are really talented, so if you want to do well, you have to work even harder,” he said. “The pressure and variety of courses force you to become more efficient.”

Helman balanced his demanding studies with an internship at Microsoft, spending two days a week working in search, cybersecurity, and databases. He has remained with the company ever since.

After spending four years at Microsoft headquarters in Seattle, Helman returned to Israel in 2014 to lead the company’s newly formed Excel group. At the time, the team included just a handful of employees. Today, the group is more than 100 strong, with a significant proportion hailing from the Technion.

With a focus on Excel’s cloud-based platform, the team has transformed the software from a desktop spreadsheet into a tool that is accessible from any device with a web browser.

Today, Excel is being further revolutionized by AI. Helman predicts that AI will enhance the ability of the typical user — who understands just a fraction of the software’s capabilities — to leverage the tool’s full functionality.

“When users come to Excel, they know the task they want to accomplish, but they may not have the ability to execute,” he explained. “With AI, we are going to bridge that gap. Users with less knowledge will become more capable, and users with more knowledge will become even more productive.”

Helman credits the success of his team to several factors specific to Israel: the vast pool of technical talent, the thriving innovation ecosystem, and the spirit of resilience that has been especially apparent since October 7.

Even in the toughest moments, it’s been important for my team to prove how committed we are, to continue delivering no matter what,” he said. “As Israelis, this is who we are.”

Against the backdrop of war, Helman feels the weight of working on a product that is so integral to the lives of so many. As he did as a Technion student, he handles the pressure with grace.

“It’s a lot of responsibility to work on one of the most widely used products in the world,” he said, “but for me and my team, that’s really inspiring.”