Saturday, November 20, 2010

We're entering the talent economy

Mac Slocum

We're entering the talent economy

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner on why access and connections will increasingly matter.

by Mac Slocum  | @macslocum  | Comment  | 19 November 2010

Jeff Weiner

News that Google has more than 2,000 job openings reinforces a point LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner made at Web 2.0 Summit: We're entering the "talent economy."

During our interview, I asked Weiner about near-term drivers of the Internet economy. Here's what he said:

... The economy, generally, is going to be increasingly driven by talent. The world has evolved. If you look back at history, we've moved from an agrarian age to the industrial revolution, followed by an information age -- arguably a "meta" information age -- and I think we're transitioning into a talent economy. Where it's not just about the information you know, but about who you know and the information they possess.

... Knowledge is now evolving so quickly, I think it's equally, if not more important, to have access and be connected to the people who have the knowledge you most need to get your job done ... Talent is going to be driving where value gets created.

Weiner touched on a number of other topics during our discussion, including:

  • How LinkedIn uses data science to create relevance from massive streams of information. Case in point: aggregated statistics reveal how companies stack up against competitors in areas like R&D and employee tenure.
  • How new features, like the Career Explorer beta, are combining personal networks and predictive tools to help job seekers find career paths. Put another way: Data tools are shifting the focus from what did happen to what can happen.

The following video contains the full interview:


The marriage of data science and data products will be discussed in-depth at the upcoming Strata Conference (Feb. 1-3, 2011 in Santa Clara, Calif.). Save 20% on registration with the code "STR11RAD."

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