War for AI Talent
The hub's flagship event on the AI labour market: 200+ attendees at the JKU LIT Open Innovation Center, with speakers from Google Austria, Microsoft Austria, AWS Austria, NXAI, Dynatrace, McKinsey, PwC, Impact AI, Syntactiq and Nineteen Twenty-One.
The question
Who actually gets hired into AI roles in Austria, what those employers screen for, and what that means for students deciding what to build now.
Who spoke
Big tech (Google Austria, Microsoft Austria, AWS Austria), research and deep tech (NXAI, with Sepp Hochreiter), industry (Dynatrace, Impact AI, Syntactiq, Nineteen Twenty-One) and consulting (McKinsey, PwC) — deliberately across the hiring spectrum rather than one segment.
Why it is a flagship
It is the format where the hub's three jobs meet: connecting Linz talent to the employer side, building a realistic picture of the market, and representing the youth position in that conversation.
On stage & involved
- Opening keynoteSebastian EcklerCountry Manager · Amazon Web Services
- Panel · Europe's AI turning pointMaimuna MosserCountry Director · Google Austria
- Panel · Europe's AI turning pointHermann ErlachGeneral Manager · Microsoft Austria
- Panel · Europe's AI turning pointChristoph KnoglerCEO; Chairman of AI Task Force IV · KEBA Group
- Panel · Europe's AI turning pointSepp HochreiterChief Scientist; Head of the LIT AI Lab · NXAI
- Panel · Europe's AI turning pointFredrik DebongVenture capitalist and serial entrepreneur
- Second keynoteLukas SchusterCo-Founder and CEO · Syntactiq
- Panel · The AI skills revolutionPatrick WollnerAssociate Partner · McKinsey Austria
- Panel · The AI skills revolutionAnna Maria Brunnhofer-PedemonteCo-Founder and CEO · Impact AI
- Panel · The AI skills revolutionAndreas HladkyPartner, Digital Consulting Lead · PwC Austria
- Panel · The AI skills revolutionGordon MeyerDirector of AI Product Innovation · Dynatrace
- Panel · The AI skills revolutionBarbara KrumayPartner · EDIH AI5production
- ModerationMichael Zehenter
200+ attendees
