SVP of Engineering, Networking
Relocating for the right opportunity can transform your career track. And seeking out a fresh start at our Nashville hub has transformed the personal and professional lives of many of our best people. Today, we’re turning the spotlight on SVP of Engineering, Networking at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Murari Sridharan. His story—and his vision for the future—might just inspire you to take the leap and join us.
Murari has always been something of a tech industry survivor. As someone who cut his teeth during the aughts downturn, and a veteran of several startups, he’s used to the challenges of life on the cutting edge. “I started in a startup just when the 2002 crash happened,” he recalls. “We had high hopes, but within a year, we had to shut down.” From there, he spent 13 years honing his skills in-house, leading major networking initiatives, before pivoting to AI and later scaling a fintech startup. Last year, after a compelling conversation with a colleague, he joined OCI in Nashville. “OCI is where I wanted to be,” says Murari.
Once again, his knack for cresting the wave of radical transformation has come in handy as he shapes the next generation of networking for OCI. Today, Murari is helping Oracle stay ahead of unprecedented growth with a bold vision.
Next generation networking
“Oracle has grown tremendously in the last five to eight years,” he explains. “In terms of just the sheer capacity of how much we are deploying and how fast.” His challenge now is to redefine networking for the future with self-healing, AI-driven networks that operate at hyperscale.
This isn’t simply about keeping up. Murari’s team is leaping ahead by tackling questions like, “What speeds do we need? What kind of control plane should run this network? How much intelligence should it have?” It’s a rare chance to rethink design from the ground up.
Nashville is at the epicenter of this innovation and Murari is currently busy hiring the people who will help answer these questions.
Opportunities at all levels
Technical ability and passion for fresh challenges is a must, but so is a willingness to get in tune with accelerating AI technology—to truly think differently. “I’m looking for people who can understand the AI workloads and can algorithmically map them onto the network,” Murari adds. From high-speed networking to congestion control, his team is solving complex problems at scale. Sometimes, this takes them into uncharted territory where a needed service or system simply doesn’t exist. That’s when the innovation kicks into high gear. Recently, his team has written their own network operating system for switches and routers—something few companies are equipped to handle.
“We are looking for people across the board. All the way from college candidates to really senior folks,” Murari explains. “This is very interesting work that typically happens in very, very few places, especially at the scale we’re talking about.”
When it comes to making a strong application for these positions, Murari values candidates who can show how they bridge science and engineering. “Anybody that can straddle these two worlds will do really well,” he notes.
“This is the time”
This kind of thinking can be seen in how the team approaches time synchronization in distributed systems. This seemingly simple issue is absolutely critical for AI workloads and Murari’s team is hard at work on loss-free networks for high-speed storage workloads and intelligent control planes that prevent costly outages.
“If you don’t get the network right, everything else doesn’t really matter,” Murari says. He often compares networking to the highway system—a foundational infrastructure for growth. And for specialists in systems, storage, or machine learning infrastructure, a move into networking is a rare chance to be at the center.
“This is the time,” Murari stresses. Like the early internet and world wide web, these projects are once-in-a-generation opportunities.
“I don’t believe in a very hierarchical team structure. I think that most leaders should think of themselves as first among equals.”
Optimism overdrive
Great ideas and executions can’t exist in a vacuum. That’s why Murari strives to lead in a way that’s totally open. “I don’t believe in a very hierarchical team structure,” he shares. “I think that most leaders should think of themselves as first among equals.” It’s all about the free flow of ideas and empowering team members to raise issues without fear. “Once you identified the problem, that’s 50% of the way,” he believes.
Trust and experimentation are what makes his team thrive and failure is not a dirty word. “It’s important for people to take risks and fail,” Murari says. “Especially when you’re trying to build something extremely innovative like we are. I’m completely fine with a little bit of bold optimism because people who stay optimistic tend to find a way to make things work!”
New to Nashville
This kind of energy characterizes life in Nashville and Murari is enthusiastic about his new home in Music City. “I’ve been so pleasantly surprised about Nashville because I had no idea,” he admits. From the lively music scene to outdoor activities for his family and an outstanding food scene, he’s found a vibrant community and a few new hangouts. (Spots like Standard Proof Whiskey, Adele’s for food, and Bourbon Street Blues for live music are among his favorites.)
“The houses here are gorgeous, too. And overall it’s a more affordable place to live,” he notes. It all adds up to make Nashville a compelling place to relocate, especially for those coming from pricier tech hubs.
Betting on the next generation
Murari’s passion for nurturing talent also shines through and he’s a big believer in the potential of the next generation of leaders. “I really would bet a lot on college kids. They should come into places like OCI because the opportunities are really, really tremendous,” he says. As someone whose own career was shaped by mentors who took a chance on him, he’s eager to pay it forward.
Career progression at OCI knows no bounds, whether you’re an individual contributor or aspiring manager. “There’s really no end to the growth that’s possible in OCI,” Murari explains. With a global team and endless possibilities, your future here is yours to build.
Make a real impact on the future of AI. Check out our latest opportunities to learn more about opportunities in Nashville and beyond. Plus, join the Oracle Talent Network for advice and insights.