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Vivek Narayanadas Joins Oklo as Head of Legal: A Critical Hire in the Rise of AI Infrastructure

Vivek Narayanadas, Head of Legal, Oklo

In a world where finding the right talent for pivotal roles can feel like navigating a labyrinth, The L Suite continues to prove its value as a hub for connecting executives with transformative opportunities. The recent placement of Vivek Narayanadas as the new Head of Legal at Oklo, a trailblazer in clean energy innovation and advanced nuclear solutions, is yet another testament to the power of this unique community-driven hiring model.

Vivek Narayanadas brings a stellar track record to Oklo, a Sam Altman-backed company pioneering small modular nuclear power plants to fuel the AI-driven future. Vivek first rose to prominence on the legal team at Shopify, where he played a key role in helping the company scale after going public. From there, he took on the General Counsel role at Metamap, followed by a leadership position as Deputy General Counsel at Maven Clinic. Now, in joining Oklo, he steps back into a Head of Legal role at a pivotal moment for the company and the industry it serves. Oklo operates at the intersection of clean energy and artificial intelligence, tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time: ensuring energy sustainability as AI infrastructure scales exponentially.

A Community-Driven Solution to Complex Hiring Challenges

The search for a new Head of Legal at Oklo exemplified the nuanced complexities of high-stakes hiring. Bill Goodwin, Oklo’s Chief Legal and Strategy Officer, a founding member of The L Suite, needed to find a bit of a unicorn as he expanded the legal team.

"This role was hard to describe and harder to fill," Bill explained. "On one hand, we were looking for someone with public markets tenure, time in a heavily regulated environment, and the ability to grapple with cutting edge and novel legal issues, but we also needed someone with the agility and growth mindset that thrives in a startup environment. Chris managed to surface someone who checked all those boxes."

The process also revealed another key value of The L Suite: understanding the true nature of the opportunity and matching it with the right candidate. Publicly, the role was advertised as a Deputy General Counsel position, which led many candidates, including Vivek, to overlook it. In addition, the industry focus on energy initially deterred him.

"If it weren’t for The L Suite, I wouldn’t have pursued this role," Vivek said. "From the outside, the position didn’t seem like the right fit for me—it wasn’t listed as a GC role, and energy wasn’t on my radar. But through The L Suite’s deep understanding of the role and the company, I saw how unique and transformative the opportunity truly was. Now, I couldn’t be more excited to be part of this amazing team."

The Unique Value of The L Suite Model

This placement underscores the distinctive advantages of The L Suite’s candidate-first, community-driven recruitment model. Unlike traditional executive search firms, which are often prohibitively expensive and inefficient, The L Suite leverages AI-driven methodologies and a membership-based model to deliver zero-cost recruitment services for employers while prioritizing exceptional outcomes for candidates (members).

Chris Sands, founder of The L Suite’s jobs program, shared his perspective: "Our model goes beyond what’s obvious. We use technology and community to surface opportunities and match candidates with roles based on cultural and strategic fit—not just what's on paper. This means bringing the right people to the table who might not have gone there on their own. It’s candidate-first, it’s no-cost for employers, and it’s a scalable, AI-enabled solution to one of the hardest challenges in executive hiring.

For Vivek, joining Oklo represents an opportunity to contribute to the future of clean energy and AI at one of the most exciting moments in the company’s history. For Oklo, it’s a chance to scale their impact with a legal leader who understands the complexities of high-growth environments and emerging industries. For The L Suite, this hire is another powerful example of the value it delivers to its members and the companies they serve.