Imagine a world where the very fabric of our digital lives—every email, video call, and app—is woven from tiny, invisible threads called packets. But here’s the shocking truth: the people who keep these threads intact are disappearing. This is the bold claim made by Anil Varanasi, CEO and co-founder of Meter, a networking startup with a vision as ambitious as it is controversial. Speaking at their annual event with the San Francisco Bay as a backdrop, Varanasi passionately declared, “We love moving packets. Everything in the world, no matter how complex, boils down to packets.”
But here’s where it gets controversial: while a container ship glided beneath the Bay Bridge—a metaphor for the physical movement of goods—Varanasi drew parallels to the digital world. “Packets, containers—they’re all just ways to move data,” he explained. Yet, as networks, devices, and data explode in volume, the number of networking engineers is shrinking. Meter’s solution? Autonomous networks by 2026, powered by AI—a term they use sparingly but effectively. “If networking gets better, compute gets better,” Varanasi asserted, emphasizing their focus on designing, configuring, and managing networks from the ground up.
And this is the part most people miss: Meter is channeling Steve Jobs’ legacy, not in black turtlenecks, but in philosophy. Just as Jobs believed in owning the entire stack—hardware, software, and everything in between—Meter is building a vertically integrated networking-as-a-service model. From hardware to AI models, they’re competing with giants like Arista, Palo Alto Networks, and Cisco, backed by a whopping $170 million in Series C funding.
But here’s the twist: Meter’s hardware isn’t just functional—it’s beautiful. Joshua Markell, head of hardware, gushed about the meticulous design of Meter Switches, even shifting a port by 2 mm for perfect alignment. “It’s the little things that build trust,” he said. Yet, customers don’t own this hardware; they subscribe to a service based on square footage. Is this genius or overkill?
When Ethernet co-inventor Bob Metcalfe pressed Varanasi on whether AI is a bubble, the CEO dodged with a smile. Metcalfe, however, didn’t hold back: “There’s definitely a bubble. The only question is when it will pop.”
So, what do you think? Is Meter’s obsession with beauty and autonomy the future of networking, or a costly distraction? Are we on the brink of an AI bubble, and if so, who will be left standing? Let’s debate in the comments—the digital world is watching.
