Amazon's AWS Loses Key AI Executive Amid Fierce Talent Competition

Exclusive: Amazon loses AWS generative AI boss as tech talent shuffle heats up

SAN FRANCISCO, June 25 (Reuters) - Amazon's (AMZN.O), opens new tab AWS recently lost its vice president overseeing generative artificial intelligence development, as the competition for talent heats up. Vasi Philomin told Reuters in an email that he left Amazon for another company, without providing specifics. A company spokesperson confirmed that Philomin had recently left after eight years with Amazon. Philomin helped lead generative AI efforts and product strategy, and oversaw foundation models known as Amazon Titan. The spokesperson said Rajesh Sheth, a vice president previously overseeing Amazon Elastic Block Store, had assumed some of Philomin's responsibilities. In his biography, Philomin said he also helped create and lead Amazon Bedrock, a hub for using multiple AI models and one of AWS's premier products in its battle for AI supremacy. He was a frequent speaker at AWS events, including Amazon's annual cloud computing conference in Las Vegas. Amazon is working to bolster its reputation in AI development, after rivals like OpenAI, and Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab have taken an early lead, particularly with consumer-focused models. The Seattle-based online retailer and technology powerhouse has invested $8 billion in AI startup Anthropic and integrated its Claude software into its own products including a new revamped version of voice assistant Alexa that it's rolling out to customers this year. In December, Amazon introduced its Nova AI models which provide for text, video and image generation. Earlier this year, it added to the lineup with a version called Sonic that can more readily produce natural-sounding speech. Companies are employing creative techniques to hire top AI talent, including using sports industry data analysis to help identify undiscovered talent, Reuters reported last month. As a result, compensation has skyrocketed for some. However, as Amazon races to produce more advanced AI, it said it expects its own success will lead to fewer corporate jobs, according to a memo from CEO Andy Jassy last week. Job growth limits will be driven in particular by so-called agentic AI, which can perform tasks with minimal or even no additional input from people. "As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs," Jassy wrote. Reporting by Greg Bensinger; Editing by David Gregorio Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Retail & Consumer Greg Bensinger Thomson Reuters Greg Bensinger joined Reuters as a technology correspondent in 2022 focusing on the world's largest technology companies. He was previously a member of The New York Times editorial board and a technology beat reporter for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He also worked for Bloomberg News writing about the auto and telecommunications industries. He studied English literature at The University of Virginia and graduate journalism at Columbia University. Greg lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children.

Amazon loses AWS generative AI boss as tech talent shuffle heats up - The Economic Times

Amazon's AWS lost its VP for generative AI, Vasi Philomin, amid fierce talent competition. Philomin helped lead key AI products like Amazon Titan and Bedrock. Amazon is investing heavily in AI, including $8 billion in Anthropic, while CEO Andy Jassy warned AI will reduce some corporate jobs.Amazon's AWS recently lost its vice president overseeing generative artificial intelligence development, as the competition for talent heats up. Vasi Philomin told Reuters in an email that he left Amazon for another company, without providing specifics. A company spokesperson confirmed that Philomin had recently left after eight years with Amazon. Philomin helped lead generative AI efforts and product strategy, and oversaw foundation models known as Amazon Titan. The spokesperson said Rajesh Sheth, a vice president previously overseeing Amazon Elastic Block Store, had assumed some of Philomin's responsibilities. In his biography, Philomin said he also helped create and lead Amazon Bedrock, a hub for using multiple AI models and one of AWS's premier products in its battle for AI supremacy. He was a frequent speaker at AWS events, including Amazon's annual cloud computing conference in Las Vegas. Amazon is working to bolster its reputation in AI development, after rivals like OpenAI, and Google have taken an early lead, particularly with consumer-focused models. The Seattle-based online retailer and technology powerhouse has invested $8 billion in AI startup Anthropic and integrated its Claude software into its own products including a new revamped version of voice assistant Alexa that it's rolling out to customers this year. In December, Amazon introduced its Nova AI models which provide for text, video and image generation. Earlier this year, it added to the lineup with a version called Sonic that can more readily produce natural-sounding speech. Companies are employing creative techniques to hire top AI talent, including using sports industry data analysis to help identify undiscovered talent, Reuters reported last month. As a result, compensation has skyrocketed for some. However, as Amazon races to produce more advanced AI, it said it expects its own success will lead to fewer corporate jobs, according to a memo from CEO Andy Jassy last week. Job growth limits will be driven in particular by so-called agentic AI, which can perform tasks with minimal or even no additional input from people. "As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs," Jassy wrote.

Amazon Loses Top AI Leader In High-Stakes Talent Shuffle - Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Amazon.com, Inc.'s AMZN AWS recently lost a key vice president involved in generative artificial intelligence development and the management of its Bedrock service, as competition for AI talent intensifies. The Details: Vasi Philomin, who confirmed his departure via email to Reuters, left Amazon earlier in June after eight years with the company. Philomin played a leading role in generative AI initiatives and product strategy, and was instrumental in overseeing the development of foundation models such as Amazon Titan, as well as the creation of Amazon Bedrock. Read Next: AST SpaceMobile Stock Downgraded, Rocket Lab Prepares Electron Launch: Space Stock Countdown According to an Amazon spokesperson, Rajesh Sheth, another vice president previously responsible for Amazon Elastic Block Store, has taken over some of Philomin's duties. Amazon is striving to strengthen its position in AI, especially as rivals like OpenAI and Google have gained early advantages, particularly in consumer-facing AI models. The company has invested $8 billion in AI startup Anthropic and integrated its Claude software into products such as a newly updated version of its voice assistant Alexa, which is being rolled out to customers this year. Why It Matters: The race for AI talent has led companies to use innovative hiring strategies, including leveraging sports industry data analysis to identify potential candidates, which has resulted in sharply increased compensation for some. Last week, Meta Platforms, Inc. META CTO Andrew Bosworth confirmed that the company is offering $100 million signing bonuses to draw AI talent away from OpenAI. However, OpenAI is not surrendering its top talent without a fierce battle. In an interview with CNBC, Bosworth disclosed that OpenAI is actively countering Meta's highly lucrative job offers to keep its best employees onboard. "The market is setting a rate here for a level of talent which is really incredible and kind of unprecedented," Bosworth said. AMZN Stock Price Action: Amazon shares were up 2.42% at $217.12 on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro. Read Next: UnitedHealth, CVS Among Major Insurers To Fast-Track Prior Authorizations: Will It Cut Profits Even More? Image: Shutterstock AMZNAmazon.com Inc$216.952.34%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum44.22Growth97.08Quality65.27Value49.86Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewMETAMeta Platforms Inc$724.382.22% This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Amazon AI Executive Leaves Company Amid Competition for AI Talent | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. Vasi Philomin, who was vice president and general manager, machine learning and AI at Amazon, told Reuters about his move, without sharing further details, Reuters reported Thursday (June 26). An Amazon spokesperson confirmed Philomin's departure and added that some of his former responsibilities have been taken over by Rajesh Sheth, a vice president who previously oversaw Amazon Elastic Block Store, according to the report. While at the company for eight years, Philomin built Amazon Bedrock and pioneered AI services in the categories of language, computer vision, contact center, industrial and developer tools, according to his LinkedIn profile. This news comes at a time when competition for skilled AI talent has reached a fever pitch, PYMNTS reported Tuesday (June 24). Companies like Meta, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Microsoft and Anthropic are among the companies engaged in this competition. It was reported Wednesday (June 25) that Meta convinced three of OpenAI's researchers to jump ship and join the social media giant's AI efforts. The report noted that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been personally campaigning to hire new AI expertise. On June 18, it was reported that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Meta was making "giant offers" of $100 million signing bonuses in an attempt to poach OpenAI's workers. Work marketplace Upwork said in February that AI has been the fastest growing category on its platform for several quarters, with clients seeking talent in prompt engineering, AI integration, generative AI modeling, and data labeling and annotation. Upwork said the during the previous year, the gross services volume (GSV) from AI-related work grew 60%, the number of clients engaging in AI-related projects grew 42%, and the hourly earnings of freelancers engaged in AI-related work reached a level 44% higher than those of other freelancers. It was reported Wednesday that the demand for AI infrastructure components from companies like Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon helped drive Nvidia shares to an all-time high. The rise took Nvidia's market cap to about $3.75 trillion, making it the world's most valuable company.

Amazon loses an AWS generative AI boss as tech talent shuffle heats up

Vasi Philomin told Reuters in an email that he left Amazon for another company, without providing specifics. A company spokesperson confirmed that Philomin had recently left after eight years with Amazon. Philomin helped lead generative AI efforts and product strategy, and oversaw foundation models known as Amazon Titan. The spokesperson said Rajesh Sheth, a vice president previously overseeing Amazon Elastic Block Store, had assumed some of Philomin's responsibilities. Philomin left Amazon earlier in June. In his biography, Philomin said he helped create and lead Amazon Bedrock, a hub for using multiple AI models and one of AWS's premier products in its battle for AI supremacy. He was a frequent speaker at AWS events, including Amazon's annual cloud computing conference in Las Vegas. An Amazon spokesman noted that there are other vice presidents at AWS who also work on generative AI projects. Amazon is working to bolster its reputation in AI development, after rivals like OpenAI, and Google have taken an early lead, particularly with consumer-focused models. The Seattle-based online retailer and technology powerhouse has invested US$8 billion in AI startup Anthropic and integrated its Claude software into its own products including a new revamped version of voice assistant Alexa that it's rolling out to customers this year. In December, Amazon introduced its Nova AI models which provide for text, video and image generation. Earlier this year, it added to the lineup with a version called Sonic that can more readily produce natural-sounding speech. Companies are employing creative techniques to hire top AI talent, including using sports industry data analysis to help identify undiscovered talent, Reuters reported last month. As a result, compensation has skyrocketed for some. However, as Amazon races to produce more advanced AI, it said it expects its own success will lead to fewer corporate jobs, according to a memo from CEO Andy Jassy last week. Job growth limits will be driven in particular by so-called agentic AI, which can perform tasks with minimal or even no additional input from people. "As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs," Jassy wrote. ---

Exclusive-Amazon loses AWS generative AI boss as tech talent shuffle heats up

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Amazon's AWS recently lost its vice president overseeing generative artificial intelligence development, as the competition for talent heats up. Vasi Philomin told Reuters in an email that he left Amazon for another company, without providing specifics. A company spokesperson confirmed that Philomin had recently left after eight years with Amazon. Philomin helped lead generative AI efforts and product strategy, and oversaw foundation models known as Amazon Titan. The spokesperson said Rajesh Sheth, a vice president previously overseeing Amazon Elastic Block Store, had assumed some of Philomin's responsibilities. In his biography, Philomin said he also helped create and lead Amazon Bedrock, a hub for using multiple AI models and one of AWS's premier products in its battle for AI supremacy. He was a frequent speaker at AWS events, including Amazon's annual cloud computing conference in Las Vegas. Amazon is working to bolster its reputation in AI development, after rivals like OpenAI, and Google have taken an early lead, particularly with consumer-focused models. The Seattle-based online retailer and technology powerhouse has invested $8 billion in AI startup Anthropic and integrated its Claude software into its own products including a new revamped version of voice assistant Alexa that it's rolling out to customers this year. In December, Amazon introduced its Nova AI models which provide for text, video and image generation. Earlier this year, it added to the lineup with a version called Sonic that can more readily produce natural-sounding speech. Companies are employing creative techniques to hire top AI talent, including using sports industry data analysis to help identify undiscovered talent, Reuters reported last month. As a result, compensation has skyrocketed for some. However, as Amazon races to produce more advanced AI, it said it expects its own success will lead to fewer corporate jobs, according to a memo from CEO Andy Jassy last week. Job growth limits will be driven in particular by so-called agentic AI, which can perform tasks with minimal or even no additional input from people. "As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs," Jassy wrote. (Reporting by Greg Bensinger; Editing by David Gregorio)