| | | | | | Hello, hello! Today, your AI Human, Amit Raja Naik, ponders over a rather intriguing new trend. Have you noticed that despite lucrative offers, top tech talent is increasingly choosing smaller firms over big tech giants? What’s the bargain? Greater autonomy, better work-life balance, and more inspiring projects? Hmm… | | | | | | | | | | | | | | For Indian tech professionals, one of the main attractions of big-tech jobs is the higher salary package, coupled with their long-standing desire to work at one of these prestigious companies. Financial motivations, while important, are not always the driving force. The nature of the work itself also plays a role. Some ML experts find the projects at big-tech companies less inspiring. “Most of the projects at MAANG [Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google] companies are boring,” one contributor mentioned. There's a preference for roles where they can have a more significant impact on the AI roadmap, which smaller firms provide. As an ML engineer puts it, “Why deal with the politics of a big company when you can get funding for your own projects?” | | | | | | | | | Moreover, the elaborate hiring processes at big-tech companies can be off-putting. As an ML engineer pointed out, “Getting into MAANG is an entirely separate field that requires you to study and practise an entire hobby/career path unrelated to your ML expertise.” Busy ML leaders might not have the time or inclination to master the intricate and often lengthy recruitment processes of these giants. Additionally, many find the work environment and the stiff corporate culture at these tech giants stifling. One ex-employee described their experience: “Google was a fun, exciting, and innovative place to work in 2004. Twenty years later, it's decayed into the same bland, vapid, beige-coloured evil as Microsoft.” Another compelling reason is more research agency and visibility at smaller firms. “I prefer smaller [companies]! Much cosier, less politics, and most importantly: waaaaay more research agency,” said an ML professional. At smaller companies, top talents often have more freedom to pursue their research interests without the constraints of a rigid corporate structure. As one ML researcher summarised, “It’s a trade-off for sure, but you get more autonomy. R&D changes so fast, so not having that autonomy can feel a little scary.” At the same time, it is undeniable that big tech produces some of the top research. People who cite autonomy as the reason, though correct, miss out on the part of producing SOTA research at big tech. So, while big-tech companies can offer substantial salaries, many skilled professionals find that the trade offs in terms of autonomy, work-life balance, and ethical considerations make smaller firms more attractive. | | | | | | | | | According to several predictions, the number of CS graduates by 2025 is going to be three or four times more than 2020. This just shows the huge supply of graduates in the field. But the same amount of jobs are not available in the Indian sector. Forget big-tech, Indian IT too is not attractive to the graduates from the country. In India, the situation is complex. It is extremely difficult to find good, or even decent, software engineers with coding skills for such small compensation. Meanwhile, the ones who have the skills are either already working for startups at a higher package, or have moved abroad for better opportunities. The reluctance of fresh graduates to pursue careers in Indian IT can be attributed to the prolonged stagnation of entry-level salaries, which have remained at INR 3.5-4 LPA for over a decade. Naturally, high-paying product companies with compensation packages ranging from Rs 10-20 LPA have become more attractive. Check the full story here. | | | | | | | | | Nokia is making a comeback! The phone maker that once ruled the mobile market, “connecting people” for over two decades, is now planning to do the same with its networking solutions in the age of AI. Recently, Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark highlighted the company's unique position in the global market, emphasising that Nokia is the only firm capable of delivering all key networking components outside of China. This includes core network software, transport networks, optical connections, and fixed broadband and mobile access networks. This capability positions Nokia as a pivotal player in the connectivity landscape, essential for leveraging the full potential of AI and cloud technologies. Read the full story here. | | | | | | | Swiggy launches Hermes, a text-to-SQL AI tool, that lets users generate and execute SQL queries via natural language prompts in Slack, enhancing data access and decision-making speed for teams across the company, to streamline operations and improve efficiency, ultimately leading to smarter, faster food deliveries. Meta introduced AI Studio, a new platform allowing users to create, share, and discover custom AI characters without needing technical skills. The service, built on Llama 3.1, aims to democratise AI creation and enhance user interaction across Meta’s apps, including Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook. Apple has revealed its decision to utilise Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to train its AI models. | | | | | AI Forum, AIM & NVIDIA Present: Masterclass on Optimizing RAG Models for Enterprise-Grade Accuracy | | | | | | | AI Forum, in partnership with AIM & NVIDIA, is set to host an insightful workshop on August 9, focusing on the optimisation of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) models to achieve enterprise-grade accuracy. This virtual workshop, scheduled from 3:00 to 4:30 pm IST, aims to provide participants with advanced techniques and best practices for enhancing the performance of RAG models. | | | | | DECODE: Operational Excellence—Improving Customer Experience with GenAI | | | | | | | Join us for an insightful webinar on August 10th at 3 PM IST, featuring industry leaders Kiran Kuppili and Bala Natarajan, as they discuss the transformative impact of generative AI on operational excellence and customer experience. | | | | | | | | | Cypher 2024 marks a significant expansion as it celebrates its 8th edition by branching out to the USA in addition to its already established presence in India. Browse through the links below to learn more about the different editions of Cypher 2024. These links will guide you to comprehensive event information, including agendas, speakers, registration details, and more. | | | | | Enjoying Sector 6 (formerly AIM Daily XO)? Share it with colleagues or friends – they can sign up here. We love hearing from our readers! Have thoughts on our new format? Questions, comments, or ideas are always welcome. If there’s a specific topic in AI or analytics that you're curious about, tell us! Reach out to us at info@analyticsindiamag.com. Stay tuned for more insights in our next edition!
Curated with ♥️ in Namma Bengaluru | | | | | | | | |
