Vivek Raghunathan
SnowflakeAbout Vivek Raghunathan
Senior Vice President, Engineering & Support at Snowflake since September 26, 2024; previously VP of AI Engineering from May 2023 to September 2024. Age 46; education includes B.S. from IIT Bombay and M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Core credentials: AI/ML leadership, large-scale engineering management at Google (led YouTube monetization; part of core Google Now launch) and co-founder of Neeva. Company performance context during FY2025: product revenue $3.5B (+30% YoY), net revenue retention 126%, and non-GAAP free cash flow $884.1M, supporting a scale environment where his execution impacts platform reliability and AI roadmap .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowflake | SVP, Engineering & Support | Sep 26, 2024 – present | Leads engineering and support, succeeding prior EVP; critical to platform reliability and AI enablement . |
| Snowflake | VP, AI Engineering | May 2023 – Sep 2024 | Drove AI engineering post-Neeva acquisition; foundation for Cortex AI and AI Data Cloud capabilities . |
| Neeva (acquired by Snowflake May 2023) | Co-founder | Jan 2019 – May 2023 | Built consumer AI search; informs Snowflake’s AI product vision and execution . |
| VP Engineering; technical leadership | Not disclosed | Led YouTube monetization; core group launching Google Now; large-scale ML/ads systems . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed in company filings | — | — | No public-company directorships or committee roles disclosed for Vivek . |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY2025 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | $500,000 | Increased upon appointment as SVP, Engineering & Support . |
| Target Annual Bonus (%) | 50% of base | Adjusted upward with SVP appointment; paid via quarterly corporate plan . |
| Actual Cash Bonus Paid | $183,658 | FY2025 total under Cash Incentive Bonus Plan (prorated pre/post appointment) . |
Performance Compensation
Quarterly Cash Bonus Metrics Attainment (FY2025)
| Metric | Q1 FY2025 | Q2 FY2025 | Q3 FY2025 | Q4 FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Revenue | Target Exceeded | Target Not Met | Target Exceeded | Target Exceeded |
| Gate: Non-GAAP Product Gross Margin | Target Met | N/A (under 100% revenue) | Target Met | Target Met |
| Gate: Non-GAAP Operating Margin | Target Met | N/A (under 100% revenue) | Target Met | Target Met |
| Gate: Stable Edges Growth | Target Met | N/A (under 100% revenue) | Target Met | Target Met |
| Corporate Bonus Pool Funding | Average ≈104.1% for FY2025 | — | — | — |
Notes:
- Cash bonus funding tied linearly to quarterly product revenue with gates enabling >100% funding; corporate pool capped at 110% per quarter; executive payouts capped at 200% of plan payout; none exceeded corporate funding in FY2025 .
Equity Awards (Vesting and Values)
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares | Grant-Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting Schedule | First Vest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSU (SVP appointment) | Oct 21, 2024 | 85,978 | $10,279,530 | 3-year, 8.33% quarterly | Dec 20, 2024 (8.33%) |
| RSU (Neeva acquisition/employee grant) | Jun 15, 2023 | 155,905 | Not disclosed here | 4-year, 6.25% quarterly | Sep 15, 2023 (6.25%) |
| PRSU (annual) | — | — | — | Not awarded in FY2025 (not in leadership at grant) | — |
Additional PRSU design (company-wide FY2025): metrics and weighting were Total Revenue (50%), Non-GAAP Operating Margin (25%), Non-GAAP Adjusted Free Cash Flow (25%); vesting requires service over 4 years post-performance determination. Vivek did not receive FY2025 PRSUs .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership | 72,340 shares; less than 1% of shares outstanding . |
| Unvested RSUs (Jan 31, 2025) | 155,905 (Jun 2023 RSU) valued $28,298,317; 78,814 (Oct 2024 RSU) valued $14,305,529 (at $181.51/share) . |
| Options | None outstanding or exercisable for Vivek . |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited for all insiders; policy bans hedging, short sales, margin, and pledging . |
| Ownership Guidelines | 2x base salary requirement for executives; all executives compliant as of Jan 31, 2025 . |
Implications:
- Quarterly RSU vesting (6.25%/8.33%) creates regular supply; policy disallows hedging/pledging, mitigating alignment concerns .
- Large unvested RSUs indicate retention lever and potential future selling cadence on vest dates; options not a factor .
Employment Terms
| Term | Key Provisions |
|---|---|
| Offer Letter | Confirmatory offer letter signed September 2024; at-will; 3-year initial term; sets salary, bonus eligibility, and equity awards . |
| Severance (non-CIC) | Tier 2: 12 months base salary; 6 months employer COBRA contribution . |
| Change-in-Control (CIC) – Double Trigger | Tier 2: 12 months base salary + target bonus; 6 months COBRA; 100% acceleration of unvested equity; PRSUs accelerate at target or actual if measurable . |
| Single-Trigger CIC | Not available for awards granted after Aug 2023 amendment; single-trigger only for certain pre-amendment tier 1 awards (not applicable to Vivek) . |
| Special Acceleration (non-CIC, offer terms) | If terminated without cause or resigns for good reason prior to 24 months from appointment: 50% of unvested shares on Jun 2023 and Oct 2024 RSUs accelerate (net of shares already vested); Jun 2023 RSU also has 100% acceleration upon termination without cause per grant notice (subject to non-duplication) . |
| Clawback | Dodd-Frank compliant compensation recoupment policy adopted Aug 2023 applies to covered executives . |
Estimated economics (as of Jan 31, 2025):
- Non-CIC termination: cash severance $500,000; health $18,959; RSU acceleration benefit value $34,800,912 .
- CIC termination: cash $750,000; health $18,959; equity acceleration value $42,603,846 .
Investment Implications
- Retention and execution: Significant unvested RSUs (~$42.6M acceleration in CIC; ~$34.8M non-CIC special terms) strongly align retention; lack of FY2025 PRSUs reduces multi-year performance tether for Vivek specifically versus peers, though cash bonuses link to quarterly product revenue and margin gates .
- Selling pressure: Quarterly vesting at 6.25%/8.33% across two RSU grants suggests predictable supply from vest-driven dispositions; no options exposure reduces volatility from exercises; hedging/pledging prohibited, lowering alignment risk .
- Pay-for-performance: Cash bonus grounded in product revenue with profitability and “stable edges” gates; FY2025 average funding ≈104.1% and individual payout caps constrain upside while rewarding growth quality .
- Governance safeguards: Robust clawback, tightened CIC mechanics (no single-trigger for future awards), and strict insider policy strengthen shareholder alignment; executives meet stock ownership guidelines .
- Track record: Deep AI/ML and monetization experience (Google, Neeva) supports Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud strategy; elevated company growth and cash generation in FY2025 provide favorable context for engineering-led execution under his remit .