Mar 8, 2019 - Technology

Microsoft's huge AI push

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Data: RS Components; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

In the mad dash for the still-tiny slice of top AI talent, companies are competing to beef up increasingly lucrative businesses, doling out sky-high salaries reaching well into 6 digits, on top of the usual tech office perks.

Spoiler alert: Microsoft is hugely outhiring its peers.

We've reported on the distribution of AI talent among companies — concentrated at the top but with a long tail. Now, new research from RS Components, a British electronics maker, shows who's hiring AI people.

  • RS took a snapshot of 29 companies' job postings between September and November.
  • The usual suspects crop up in the chart above, with a strong showing from chipmakers and a surprise appearance from German software giant SAP.
  • But Microsoft's AI job openings outnumber the combined listings of the next 4 runners-up.

Be smart: This analysis is a very rough estimate. Just like Axios job listings don’t typically include the word "journalism," a lot of AI-related jobs might use more specific terms in listings.

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