2 weeks ago
AI splits tech hiring into builders and adopters
Artificial intelligence is changing the kinds of jobs that tech companies need to fill.
Some companies, like Indian IT firms, are hiring scientists and engineers to build AI tools for businesses.
Other companies, like Meta and Amazon, are hiring salespeople and consultants to help customers use AI.
Both types of companies are now hiring a new kind of worker called a forward deployed engineer.
This person understands both technology and business and helps customers get value from AI.
Big Tech companies hired more than 30,000 people from India in 2025 and plan to hire even more in 2026.
Companies like TCS want up to 8,900 forward deployed engineers, and Salesforce wants 1,000.
Top AI jobs pay well, with fresh graduates earning 20-25 lakh compared with about 3.5-4 lakh for standard roles.
Experts think AI could create $260-440 billion in technology services revenue by 2030.
AI is splitting tech hiring into two tracks: Indian IT firms hiring technical talent to build enterprise AI, and Big Tech hiring sales and consulting talent to drive adoption.
US Big Tech firms hired more than 30,000 people from India in 2025, with hiring expected to rise 16-20% in 2026.
Forward deployed engineer (FDE) job postings have grown almost eightfold year-on-year as the two hiring strategies converge.
TCS plans up to 8,900 FDEs, Cognizant is training 5,000 frontier certified engineers, and Salesforce aims for a 1,000-strong FDE cadre.
Indian IT firms are offering freshers 20-25 lakh for elite AI engineering roles, compared with standard packages of around 3.5-4 lakh.
- Who
- Indian IT services firms such as TCS and Cognizant, and Big Tech companies including Meta, Amazon Web Services, Google, Salesforce and OpenAI
- What
- AI is splitting tech hiring into two tracks: builders of enterprise AI and adopters who sell and deploy it, converging on forward deployed engineer roles
- Where
- India, the UK, the US and Europe
- When
- 2025-2026, based on 2025 hiring data and 2026 projections
- Why
- As enterprise AI becomes mainstream infrastructure, companies need different talent to build AI solutions and to drive customer adoption
Key facts
- US Big Tech hires from India (2025)
- More than 30,000
- Projected hiring growth (2026)
- 16-20%
- FDE job posting growth
- Almost eightfold year-on-year
- TCS FDE target
- Up to 8,900 (about 1-1.5% of workforce)
- Cognizant training targets
- 5,000 frontier certified engineers and 10,000 frontier business operators
- Salesforce FDE cadre
- 1,000-strong
- AI services revenue opportunity by 2030
- $260-440 billion
- Fresher pay for elite AI roles
- 20-25 lakh vs 3.5-4 lakh standard packages
Quotes
Sidhant Rastogi
President of technology & business strategy at Zinnov
“"Indian IT firms are hiring scientists to build the capability and Big Tech is hiring the people who make enterprises adopt it, and the forward deployed engineer, part builder and part translator, is where the two hiring strategies meet," said Sidhant Rastogi, president of technology and business strategy at Zinnov.”
financialexpress.com
“"As enterprise AI and cloud platforms transition from complex emerging tech into mainstream operational infrastructure, the go-to-market mandate for Big Tech has fundamentally shifted," said Milind Shah, managing director at Randstad Digital.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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