Ramaswamy, leading the cloud storage entity Snowflake, asserts that personal growth stems from accepting roles beyond one’s perceived capabilities. During a conversation in LinkedIn’s “This Is Working” series, he shared, “All of my success in my life has come from people giving me jobs that I didn’t think I deserved or qualified for.” This approach involves taking responsibility and broadly defining concepts like ‘team’ and ‘success,’ which increases the likelihood of gaining leadership roles.
In 1994, Ramaswamy earned a PhD in computer science from Brown University and spent nearly ten years in the tech industry before Google enlisted him as a software engineer in 2003. Over the next eight years, he ascended to a senior vice president position. Departing Google, he co-founded Neeva, an AI-driven search engine challenger to Google, acquired by Snowflake in 2023.
Ramaswamy’s career is marked by repeatedly adopting unfamiliar roles and responsibilities. In 2023, he joined Snowflake as SVP of AI and was swiftly promoted to CEO in 2024, even without previous experience in such a capacity. To prepare for his CEO role, Ramaswamy presented a detailed spreadsheet to Snowflake’s founder, illustrating AI’s integration into the company’s mission, and led “war room” meetings to demystify AI for employees across different departments.
Acknowledging that ambition can sometimes lead to failure, Ramaswamy advises playing the “game of averages.” He believes in attempting enough bold endeavors to ensure that some yield success. “Sometimes you can say: ‘Think ridiculously ambitious,'” he noted, emphasizing resilience and adaptability as key traits in his journey.
The company, based in Bozeman, Montana, has seen its market cap rise to $61.22 billion, up from $50 billion the year prior to Ramaswamy’s tenure. This financial growth underscores his effective leadership strategies.
Ramaswamy also highlights the significance of emotional intelligence alongside ambition. He emphasizes the need for self-awareness and resilience when exploring new challenges. Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn’s co-founder, supports this view, identifying a CEO’s ambition and emotional intelligence as crucial traits for investment decisions.
Christine Cruzvergara from Handshake advises enhancing emotional intelligence by observing peers in meetings to understand body language and influence. This approach helps gather a comprehensive understanding of interactions, aiding in better communication and leadership.
Sridhar Ramaswamy’s career trajectory at Snowflake demonstrates that embracing challenging roles without prior qualifications can lead to exceptional growth. By cultivating both ambition and emotional intelligence, professionals can navigate their career paths successfully.
