Current Position and Role
- Senior Engineering Manager, Google Cloud (Nov 2023 – Present; 2 years)
- Karthik Ramaswamy holds a senior leadership role within the Silicon engineering team at Google Cloud. Although explicit details of his responsibilities are not publicly detailed, the position typically entails leading large-scale engineering projects, managing cross-functional teams, and contributing to the cloud infrastructure and platform development at Google.
Professional Experience and Career Trajectory
- Prior to joining Google in his current role, Karthik served as:
- Director of Engineering & BDC Site Lead at Ampere (Aug 2019 – Oct 2020; 1 year 3 months)
- He has also held senior positions at notable technology companies including Intel, Uber, LinkedIn, and Oscilar.
- Past roles include Machine Learning Engineer at Google (2018–2021) and Senior Staff Software Engineer at Uber, reflecting a strong AI/ML and streaming data background.
- He is recognized for significant contributions to the real-time data streaming domain, notably as the creator/co-creator of pioneering technologies such as Apache Storm and Apache Heron (the latter developed during his tenure at Twitter).
Industry Recognition and Technical Contributions
- Recognized as a 2023 Datanami Person to Watch for his impact on real-time data streaming markets.
- Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Streamlio, a big data startup acquired by Splunk, underscoring his entrepreneurial and product leadership experience in real-time data processing.
- Expertise spans over 20 years in real-time data processing, parallel databases, and stream processing frameworks.
- Publicly known for contributions and thought leadership in Apache Spark Structured Streaming, including advanced techniques such as arbitrary stateful stream processing and query planning improvements.
- Frequently interviewed and featured in technical forums and podcasts (e.g., the "Unapologetically Technical" series, Databricks), where he discusses streaming architectures and innovations.
Educational Background
- Born in Chennai, India (1989).
- Holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, where he was an academic topper and awarded for outstanding performance.
- Additional academic credentials include a Master’s in Management Studies with Information Technology specialization from the University of Mumbai.
- Attended IIM Bangalore commencing in 2021 with specialization in Production and Operations Management, adding business and operations management credentials to his technical foundation.
Skills and Expertise
- Technical Leadership: Experienced in managing engineering teams, driving development of scalable distributed systems, and overseeing complex projects within the Silicon and Cloud infrastructure environments.
- Machine Learning: Previous roles centered on ML at Google, Uber, and LinkedIn, applying data science techniques for problem-solving such as fraud detection and latency optimization.
- Stream Processing and Big Data: Deep technical expertise and invention in stream processing engines with a noted history of creating and improving open-source frameworks that underpin many modern real-time analytics platforms.
- Product Management: Leadership in product development cycles from co-founding startups to integrating technologies within larger enterprise platforms.
Professional Interests and Initiatives
- Active involvement in startups and AI-driven ventures: Co-founder of myaidrive.com and Ai PDF GPT, focusing on AI applications.
- Engagement with ongoing industry and academic discourse through published articles, technical presentations, and council memberships (e.g., Forbes Technology Council).
Geographic and Professional Location
- Based in San Francisco, CA.
- Active on professional platforms including LinkedIn ([profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karthik-ramaswamy-9608b21)) and social media (X: @_cartick).
Karthik Ramaswamy represents a senior engineering leader at Google with a robust combination of technical innovation, managerial experience, and entrepreneurial background. His expertise lies in real-time streaming data and large-scale cloud infrastructure, making him a key figure in the development and execution of Google Cloud’s silicon engineering strategies. His involvement in AI and ML, startup ecosystems, and contributions to open-source frameworks further highlight his technical depth and industry influence.
