The Great AI Recruitment War: Amazon Is On Top, And Apple Is Almost Nowhere To Be Seen

Aaron Tilley | Forbes.com | 18 April 2017

“When Matt Zeiler finished his PhD in machine learning from New York University in 2013, the tech giants came scrambling…

…Zeiler rebuffed all offers and founded his own startup, Clarifai, but that’s rare in a world where tech giants are willing to pay top dollar for AI talent. Every student coming out of these university programs are finding themselves deluged with offers from tech companies as AI has become increasingly central to the products and services that are consuming our lives. Microsoft Research head Peter Lee compared recruiting AI talent in the field of deep learning to recruiting a top NFL quarterback.

But that was back in 2013. Now the talent war for AI researchers has ramped up even more. New numbers out from Paysa, a recruitment platform, give some indication. Based on a study of public job listings among US employers, the top 20 AI recruiters are spending more than $650 million annually to hire talent in this field. The usual suspects — Amazon, Google and Microsoft — far outweigh recruiting efforts by other players.”

Read more here.

 

Call for Applications: Oculus Launch Pad 2017

Oculus Blog | 14 April 2017

“We’re excited to announce the official start of Oculus Launch Pad 2017! Applications are now open at oculus.com.

Now in its second year, Oculus Launch Pad provides women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and people from other underrepresented backgrounds funding and resources to ensure diversity of thought in the VR ecosystem. This year, Launch Pad kicks off with a weekend boot camp at Facebook headquarters on June 10 and 11. Creators receive mentoring, hands-on training, and a free Gear VR to playtest their own games and experiences.

After the boot camp, participants will receive ongoing guidance, plus feedback on their work and the opportunity to compete for 2017 Oculus Launch Pad Scholarships.

In its first year, Launch Pad brought together 100 aspiring VR content creators with an investment of more than $250K. Now, thanks to the $10M Oculus pledged to fund diversity programs, we look forward to helping a new batch of creators break into VR this year.”

Read more here.

 

Pluto VR raises $13.9M to build out virtual reality communication platform

Nat Levy | GeekWire |13 April 2017

“Pluto VR, the Seattle-based virtual reality startup co-founded by PopCap Games co-founder John Vechey, has raised $13.9 million in a Series A funding round.

The company, which is developing applications for people to communicate within virtual reality, will use the cash infusion to continue research and development, roll out its alpha test to more customers and support additional platforms.

Seattle-based Maveron led the round, with participation from Madrona Venture Group of Seattle, Trilogy Equity Partners of Bellevue and other individual investors. Maveron co-founder and General Partner, Dan Levitan, will join Pluto’s board of directors.”

Read more here.

View Pluto Vr’s job opening.

 

Two of the highest-paying U.S. companies are based in the Seattle area – and they’re hiring

Jennings Moss |Silicon Valley Business Journal | 13 April 2017

“Two of the highest-paying companies in the U.S. are based in the Seattle area.

Redmond-based Microsoft ranked No. 19 on Glassdoor’s breakdown of the 25 companies that offer the biggest pay and compensation packages, while Seattle-based F5 Networks came in at No. 23.

Two other tech giants with large workforces in the Puget Sound region – Google and Facebook – also made the list.

“This report reinforces that high pay continues to be tied to in-demand skills and higher education, which in part, is why we see several companies on this list among the consulting and technology industries,” Glassdoor Chief Economist Andrew Chamberlain said in a news release.”

Read more here.