This former Google techie is solving the employability problem using AI

Valued at over $2 billion today, Ashutosh Garg's firm Eightfold AI is being used by large companies, including Fortune 500 clients, to shape up the career paths of their employees

SaaS-based startup Eightfold AI is the latest to receive backing from SoftBank Vision Fund, with the latter investing $220 million in the company. The firm is part of the swelling unicorn club of US-based startups such as Zenoti, Druva and Freshworks, which have been founded by Indian entrepreneurs.
 
Co-founded by Ashutosh Garg in 2016, the company is solving the problem of employability using artificial intelligence (AI). While studying at IIT Delhi in the early 90s, like all other students, Garg looked up to his seniors for guidance to shape his career. “At every point in time, we look at people who are a few years ahead of us and use that information to shape up our careers,” explains Garg. Based on this idea, the venture of this former Google techie using data to help shape the careers of employees.

 
The platform tracks the data of employees of clients that it serves across the globe to understand what a particular person is doing and what he did to get to his current position. Then it uses AI to predict the profile suitable for him in his next career move, and the education path and experiences he needs to get there.
 

Eightfold AI, currently valued at over $2 billion, is already being used by large companies, including Fortune 500 clients, in over 25 countries across 15-plus languages to shape up the career paths of their employees. Garg has over 50 patents to his name including those around matching people to the job opportunities and understanding who is likely to be successful.

 
Belonging to a family of engineers, technology was an obvious career choice for Garg. He was fascinated by AI in his college days at IIT Delhi which led him to go for a master's degree in AI and ML from the University of Illinois in 1998. “AI can be an ultimate human scalar. The goal is not for AI to come and replace humans, but use AI to help each and every one become much better in their fields. That is my passion,” he says. He has gathered about 25 years of research experience in the sector working at several marquee firms such as Microsoft, Google and IBM.

 
Before starting Eightfold AI in 2016, Garg had co-founded a company called BloomReach in the e-commerce personalisation space. He worked there for 12 years to realise that he could keep working on more such companies or drift to serve a larger cause. “I realised that my calling is employment. That is what led me to leave BloomReach to start Eightfold AI,” he says.
 
Apart from employability, Garg also wants to improve the education system over time, using AI. He strongly feels that the education system should be such that it provides continuous lifelong learning both via experience and education. “Given the rate at which technology is changing, we can't just assume that we will study something for four years and then use it for the next 35 years. We will have to upgrade continuously,” he says.

 
Next on agenda is utilising the fund from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 to fuel growth of Eightfold AI, invest in technology and the product. The company has plans to invest over $100 million to expand in India, one of the key markets for the startup. “Eightfold’s platform provides global enterprises with a single solution for managing the entire talent lifecycle, including hiring, retaining, and growing a diverse global workforce,” according to Deep Nishar, Senior Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers.