Bratin Saha
DigitalOcean HoldingsAbout Bratin Saha
Bratin Saha (age 51) has served as DigitalOcean’s Chief Product & Technology Officer since June 2024; he previously led AI/ML at AWS, held product leadership at Nvidia, and senior engineering roles at Intel. He holds a BTech from IIT and a PhD in Computer Science from Yale University . Company performance during 2024: revenue rose 13% to $781 million, adjusted EBITDA grew 19% to $328 million (42% margin), and GAAP net income increased 335% to $84 million, reflecting strengthened execution and profitability . For context, the company’s pay-versus-performance table shows total shareholder return (TSR) since the IPO date reference at $80.16 for 2024 versus $204.26 for the S&P Information Technology Index; this is not specific to his tenure but provides background on shareholder outcomes .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) | VP & General Manager, AI/ML | Dec 2017–Jun 2024 | Led AI/ML portfolio and go-to-market for cloud AI workloads |
| Nvidia | Vice President of Product | Jul 2016–Dec 2017 | Drove product management for GPU/software stack in AI markets |
| Intel | Senior Director, Software Development (and prior roles) | 2002–2016 | Led software/platform engineering across semiconductor stack |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Date(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LambdaTest Testµ 2025 | Conference Speaker (CPTO, DigitalOcean) | Aug 19–21, 2025 | Listed as a featured speaker among global technology leaders |
| Cloudways (DigitalOcean service) | Product spokesperson (quotes on launch) | Aug 12, 2025 | Quoted on Cloudways Copilot agentic capability from Gradient AI platform |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary (as of Dec 31, 2024) | $500,000 | Per Saha Agreement and compensation table |
| Salary Earned (pro rata 2024) | $270,833 | Joined June/July 2024, pro-rated |
| Target Bonus % | 80% of base | Per Saha Agreement |
| Non-Equity Incentive (Actual) | $216,394 | Pro-rated bonus; entitled to greater of 100% target or achieved amount |
| One-time/Additional Bonus | $100,000 | Paid March 2025 for 2024 performance |
| All Other Compensation | $9,006 | Company contributions/insurance; detail in proxy |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target Framework (Adjusted) | Actual 2024 | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 75% | Threshold 9.5%; Intermediate 10.5%; Target 13.8%; Max 16% | $781M revenue (+13% YoY) | Weighted payout 61.7% |
| Adjusted Free Cash Flow Margin | 25% | Threshold 12.3%; Target 15.3%; Max 18.3% | 17% ACFM | Weighted payout 33.1% |
| Total Bonus Payout | 100% | Based on the two metrics above | 94.8% payout for eligible NEOs | Saha received 100% of pro-rated target per agreement |
PSU design aligned to the same revenue/ACFM mix with independent achievement; 2024 PSUs certified at 94.8% of target .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Beneficial ownership: 14,066 shares (consisting of RSUs vesting within 60 days of March 14, 2025); <1% ownership .
- Outstanding equity awards (as of Dec 31, 2024):
- RSUs: 337,597 shares; vests 25% on June 1, 2025; remaining in 12 equal quarterly installments starting Sep 1, 2025 .
- RSUs: 42,198 shares; vests 25% on Sep 1, 2025; remaining in 12 equal quarterly installments starting Dec 1, 2025 .
- Additional onboarding RSU: 84,399 shares granted and vesting monthly in 12 equal installments starting Jul 17, 2024 (of which 42,198 were still unvested at FY-end) .
- Stock ownership guidelines: Saha (as an executive other than CEO/CFO) must hold at least 1× base salary in Company stock within five years; qualifying shares exclude unvested awards/options .
- Hedging/pledging: Company prohibits hedging/monetization and pledging of Company stock (including options/derivatives, margin purchases, short selling) .
- Clawbacks: Compliant with Exchange Act Section 10D and NYSE listing standards; SOX 304 recoupment for CEO/CFO if required .
| Equity Detail | Shares/Value | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs (Grant 7/3/2024) | 337,597; $11,501,930 market value at $34.07 | 25% 6/1/2025; remainder in 12 quarterly installments from 9/1/2025 | Long-term retention aligned |
| RSUs (Grant 7/3/2024) | 84,399 total; 42,198 unvested at FY-end; $1,437,686 market value | 12 equal monthly installments from 7/17/2024 | Onboarding/transition award |
| Beneficial Ownership | 14,066 | Within 60 days window (RSU vesting) | <1% of outstanding shares |
Employment Terms
- Agreement date: Saha Agreement effective May 22, 2024; CPTO since June 2024 .
- Baseline severance (general NEO terms): Without cause or for good reason → 6 months base salary and up to 6 months health premium reimbursement; CIC double-trigger (within 3 months prior/12 months post CIC, plus qualifying termination) → 12 months base salary lump sum, bonus at 100% of all objectives, up to 12 months health premiums, and 100% acceleration of time-based equity awards .
- Saha-specific enhancements:
- Without cause/good reason (non-CIC): 12 months base salary; if within two years of start, accelerates time-based equity scheduled to vest over the 12 months post termination .
- CIC double-trigger: Health premium reimbursement up to 18 months (longer than general 12 months) .
| Scenario | Cash Severance | Bonus Treatment | Equity | Health Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Without cause / Good reason (non-CIC) | 12 months base salary (Saha enhancement) | N/A | Accelerate time-based RSUs scheduled over next 12 months (if within two years of start) | Up to 12 months reimbursement (general) |
| CIC + qualifying termination (double-trigger) | 12 months base salary (lump sum) | Bonus at 100% achievement | 100% of time-based equity accelerates | Up to 18 months reimbursement (Saha enhancement) |
Company Performance Context
Annual results (USD Millions):
| Metric | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | $576.3 | $692.9 | $780.6 |
| EBITDA | $80.8* | $176.1* | $226.6* |
| Net Income (IS) | -$27.8 | $19.4 | $84.5 |
Values retrieved from S&P Global (asterisked EBITDA cells).
Quarterly results (USD Millions):
| Metric | Q4 2023 | Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 | Q1 2025 | Q2 2025 | Q3 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | $180.9 | $184.7 | $192.5 | $198.5 | $204.9 | $210.7 | $218.7 | $229.6 |
| EBITDA | $50.4* | $50.1* | $57.8* | $62.0 | $60.0* | $64.6* | $66.2* | $77.9* |
| Net Income (IS) | $15.9* | $14.1 | $19.1 | $32.9 | $18.3 | $38.2 | $37.0 | $158.4 |
Values retrieved from S&P Global (asterisked EBITDA and any net income cells without citations).
Compensation Structure Highlights and Governance
- 2024 design shifts: Revenue weighting increased to 75% (from 50%) in cash bonus and PSU metrics to prioritize growth; ACFM at 25% .
- 2024 achievements: Bonus payout certified at 94.8%; PSUs achieved at 94.8% of target .
- No single-trigger CIC; no excise tax gross-ups; anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy; clawback policy compliant with NYSE .
- Compensation peer group (2024 benchmarking) included: Altair, Appian, Asana, BigCommerce, Cloudflare, Fastly, Five9, HashiCorp, Jamf, Marqeta, MongoDB, PagerDuty, Progress Software, Rapid7, Smartsheet, SolarWinds, Squarespace, Workiva, Zuora; targeting total direct compensation around 50th–65th percentile .
- Say-on-pay approval: ~91% at 2024 annual meeting .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: Saha’s compensation is equity-heavy with multi-year RSU vesting, enhanced severance acceleration within two years, and stricter health reimbursement in CIC scenarios—supporting retention but potentially increasing near-term insider share supply from scheduled vesting (e.g., 25% cliffs in mid/late 2025 followed by quarterly tranches) . Anti-hedging/pledging and ownership guidelines mitigate alignment risk, though his current beneficial stake is modest (<1%) with a five-year window to reach 1× salary holdings .
- Pay-for-performance: Elevated revenue weighting ties incentives to top-line growth; 2024 payouts (94.8%) were consistent with company performance. PSU design mirrors cash metrics, reinforcing focus on scalable, profitable growth (ACFM) .
- Trading signals: Upcoming vesting dates (June/September 2025) and continued monthly vesting from onboarding RSUs may create periodic selling pressure; watch Form 4 filings for activity. The company’s strong revenue and net income trajectory, plus AI product momentum, supports bullish fundamentals, but monitor dilution and stock comp trends against buyback pace .
- Change-of-control economics: Double-trigger structure with full time-based acceleration (and extended health for Saha) reduces retention risk during strategic transactions; limited single-trigger exposure is governance-positive .