Story of Eightfold AI: Founder and CEO of Ashutosh Garg
Rise of Eightfold AI
In 2016, Ashutosh Garg co-founded Eightfold AI in Santa Clara, California, with a bold mission: to transform how organizations attract, retain, and develop talent. The company quickly stood out by introducing artificial intelligence into the HR space, creating tools that could predict skills, career paths, and opportunities better than traditional methods. Today, it supports clients like Postmates, Capital One, and Hulu, proving its global relevance in a competitive market.A Platform Built on Three Pillars
Eightfold AI is often described as the industry’s first true “Talent
Intelligence Platform.” Its foundation rests on three guiding principles.
First, people are considered an enterprise’s most valuable asset, so the
platform brings together data from every stage of the employee journey, from
applicants to alumni. Second, instead of only focusing on what employees have
already done, Eightfold uses data to understand what they are capable of
achieving in the future. Finally, the AI continuously learns from outcomes,
predicting future performance, roles, and career paths for individuals.
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Explosive Growth and Reach
From its early days, Eightfold gained rapid traction. With over 7.7 million
monthly visitors and 4.4 million unique users, the platform is seeing explosive
search growth of over 426% in the last five years. Backed by $410 million in
Series E funding, the company is valued at more than $2.1 billion and now works
with clients in over 100 countries. Its data network covers more than 1 billion
career trajectories and 1 million unique skills, making it one of the most
comprehensive talent databases in the world.
The Vision of Ashutosh Garg
Ashutosh Garg, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Eightfold, has always been passionate
about machine learning and its real-world applications. He earned his Ph.D. in
Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, where his award-winning dissertation focused on algorithms
for learning in high-dimensional spaces. With over 10,000 citations, 50
patents, and 35 peer-reviewed publications, he is recognized as a global
authority in artificial intelligence.
From Google to Entrepreneurship
Before starting Eightfold, Garg built a stellar career working at some of the
most respected tech organizations. At Google and IBM Research, he led efforts
in search and personalization. Later, he co-founded BloomReach, which became a
Gartner-recognized leader in digital experience platforms. His entrepreneurial
journey has been marked by bold ideas and the ability to execute them at scale,
a quality that positioned him perfectly to launch Eightfold AI.
Global Recognition and Impact
Over the years, Garg’s achievements have earned him widespread recognition. In
2021, the U.S. State Department honored him as one of ten immigrant founders
who built two unicorn companies. In 2024, IIT Delhi, his alma mater, awarded
him the Distinguished Alumni designation, placing him alongside notable
innovators like Vinod Khosla and Mohit Aron. These honors highlight his lasting
influence in science, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Adapting to a Changing World
The workplace has gone through seismic shifts, from the COVID-19 pandemic to
the “great resignation” and the arrival of generative AI tools like ChatGPT.
Eightfold AI has remained at the forefront by adapting its platform to meet new
challenges. Whether it’s helping companies retain talent, upskill employees, or
achieve diversity goals, the company continues to innovate and stay ahead of
changing workforce dynamics.
A Mission for the Future
At its heart, Eightfold AI is driven by a simple but powerful vision: ensuring
the right career for everyone in the world. Garg has stated that by 2030, the
company aims to provide meaningful career pathing to more than 10 million
people using generative AI. With its combination of data-driven insights, AI
innovation, and global reach, Eightfold AI is not just redefining human
resources—it is shaping the future of work itself.
Timeline for story
1993–1997: Ashutosh Garg studies Electrical
Engineering at IIT Delhi.
1998–2002: Completes Ph.D. in AI/Machine Learning at
UIUC, wins awards for research.
2000s: Works at IBM Research and Google on search and
personalization.
2009: Co-founds BloomReach, a leader in digital
experience platforms.
2016: Launches Eightfold AI in Santa Clara, building
the first Talent Intelligence Platform.
2017–2020: Gains global clients like Hulu, Postmates,
and Capital One; expands to 100+ countries.
2021: Recognized by U.S. State Department as one of
ten immigrant founders of unicorns.
2024: Receives
IIT Delhi Distinguished Alumni Award; Eightfold valued at $2.1B.
2030 (Goal): Plans to provide career pathing to 10M+
people using generative AI.
