Shireesh Thota

Observer
DISC Type : ic

CVP, Databases at Microsoft

Redmond, Washington, United States

Overview

Shireesh Thota is the Corporate Vice President for Databases at Microsoft, where he leads product and engineering for SQL, Cosmos DB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL offerings. His expertise spans large-scale, distributed systems, with prior experience as SVP of Engineering at SingleStore. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Connecticut.

Shireesh was a founding member of Azure Cosmos DB and initially served as the sole developer for its core query engine and security components. A podcast revealed his childhood dream was to be a bus driver.

Personality Overview

Value Driven

Example Seeker

Curious

They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing.  They often ask many questions and rely heavily on information and documentation. They are generally strong communicators and are not easy to convince.

Topics They Care About

AI in Databases
He frequently speaks on integrating AI directly into databases, such as adding native vector indexing to SQL Server 2025 to power AI-ready applications and RAG patterns.
Open-Source Databases
His responsibilities include Azure's PostgreSQL and MySQL offerings, and he emphasizes Microsoft's commitment to contributing to open-source projects, not just consuming them.
Unified Data Platforms
He champions Microsoft Fabric's role in unifying operational databases (like SQL and Cosmos DB) with analytics for a single, consistent data platform.

Media Appearances

Shireesh has no verified media appearances

Work History

2-2024
CVP, Databases at Microsoft
3-2023 - 2-2024
VP Databases at Microsoft
3-2022 - 4-2023
Senior Vice President Of Engineering at SingleStore
8-2013 - 3-2022
Partner Director Engineering at Microsoft
9-2011 - 8-2013
Principal Software Developer at Microsoft

Education

2005 - 2006
Master's degree from University of Connecticut
1999 - 2003
Bachelor's degree from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 19 Location : Redmond, Washington, United States Job Level : N/A Designation : CVP, Databases at Microsoft
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Insights For Selling To Shireesh

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Invite them for a social do but don’t rely solely on the relationship
  • Use phrases like ‘clear proof that’, ‘data shows’ etc.
  • Focus on immediate action-items rather than the larger goals

DONT's

  • Don’t rely excessively on your relationship with them to win the deal
  • Don’t be too objective but make sure to pad your storytelling with data points
  • Avoid making offhand commitments

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Shireesh is

  • Clear proof of product value matters to them, followed by others' testimonials and rapport.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Shireesh

  • They are practical yet friendly, don’t expect a clear no very often.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Shireesh move?

  • They like to analyze well and then make their decisions.
  • Can Shireesh take some risk or not?

  • They systematically evaluate all decisions and are unlikely to take many risks.

You And Shireesh

Personality Compatibility


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