'People Gave Me Jobs I Didn't Think I Was Qualified For': Snowflake CEO Shares Tips For Success
An IIT Madras Alumnus, Sridhar Ramaswamy believes in embracing responsibilities, even when he feels unprepared. As the CEO of the $61 billion cloud storage company Snowflake, he encourages young professionals to adopt the same mindset. He suggests that volunteering for a task or applying for a job without having all the necessary qualifications or preparation may seem like a mistake, but it can actually be a powerful strategy for career growth and personal development. "All of my success in my life has come from people giving me jobs that I didn't think I deserved or qualified for," the 57-year-old recently shared in LinkedIn's This Is Working video series. "The more you take responsibility and the more you're broad about what defines 'team' and 'success,' the more likely it is that somebody is going to say, 'You know, this is the person I want leading the next rung of the organisation." Also Read: Gold Rate Today (February 26): Check Out Gold Prices In Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, More Cities Taking Roles Outside Of Previous Experience An alumnus of IIT Madras and Brown University, Ramaswamy was part of the early engineering team that developed Google Search. He joined Google as a software engineer in 2003 and rose to the role of senior vice president within eight years before leaving to co-found Neeva, an AI-powered search engine, in 2019. The venture aimed to rival Google. Ramaswamy attributes his success to consistently taking on roles and responsibilities that were outside his previous experience. When Snowflake acquired Neeva in 2023, he became their senior vice president of AI, and in 2024, he was promoted to CEO—yet another role he had never held before. "Sometimes you can say: 'Think ridiculously ambitious,'" he said. "It doesn't work everywhere, and sometimes you fall flat on your face. You've got to play the game of averages. If you try enough ambitious things, a bunch of them work out."
An IIT Madras Alumnus, Sridhar Ramaswamy believes in embracing responsibilities, even when he feels unprepared. As the CEO of the $61 billion cloud storage company Snowflake, he encourages young professionals to adopt the same mindset. He suggests that volunteering for a task or applying for a job without having all the necessary qualifications or preparation may seem like a mistake, but it can actually be a powerful strategy for career growth and personal development.
"All of my success in my life has come from people giving me jobs that I didn't think I deserved or qualified for," the 57-year-old recently shared in LinkedIn's This Is Working video series. "The more you take responsibility and the more you're broad about what defines 'team' and 'success,' the more likely it is that somebody is going to say, 'You know, this is the person I want leading the next rung of the organisation."
Taking Roles Outside Of Previous Experience
An alumnus of IIT Madras and Brown University, Ramaswamy was part of the early engineering team that developed Google Search. He joined Google as a software engineer in 2003 and rose to the role of senior vice president within eight years before leaving to co-found Neeva, an AI-powered search engine, in 2019. The venture aimed to rival Google.
Ramaswamy attributes his success to consistently taking on roles and responsibilities that were outside his previous experience. When Snowflake acquired Neeva in 2023, he became their senior vice president of AI, and in 2024, he was promoted to CEO—yet another role he had never held before.
"Sometimes you can say: 'Think ridiculously ambitious,'" he said. "It doesn't work everywhere, and sometimes you fall flat on your face. You've got to play the game of averages. If you try enough ambitious things, a bunch of them work out."
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