What are the company's plans for job creation and digital talent cultivation?

Hello, the question about LY Corporation's (formerly LINE Yahoo) plans for job creation and digital talent development is a great one – absolutely crucial to their success in the future tech race. I'll break it down for you in plain terms.

Think of LY's strategy like running a "football club": they need to invest heavily in buying star players from outside, while also pumping resources into their own youth academy to cultivate future stars.

I. Creating Job Opportunities: Acquiring "Star Players" & Strengthening "Key Positions"

Post-merger, many worried about layoffs. But for a tech giant like LY aiming for ambitious goals, they need to "bulk up," not "trim down." Their hiring focus is mainly in these areas:

1. No.1 Priority: The AI (Artificial Intelligence) Field

This is absolutely paramount. With the global scramble for large-scale models (like ChatGPT), LY has explicitly stated it will invest massively in developing a "Japanese-specialized" AI large language model.

Who does this require? Masses of AI engineers, data scientists, and algorithm researchers. These are like the "strikers" on the team – directly scoring goals, commanding high salaries and demanding high skills. They train, teach, and make AI smarter.

2. Expanding Core Businesses: Solidifying the "Midfield & Defense"

Beyond frontier fields like AI, they must also protect and enhance their established core businesses.

E-commerce & Fintech: Think Yahoo! Shopping and PayPay. Growing these requires more software engineers for new features, product managers for UX design, and cybersecurity experts for transaction safety. This is the team's midfield and defense, ensuring robust operation.
Advertising & Media: Platforms like LINE News and Yahoo! News are massive traffic hubs. Optimizing content and ad recommendations for greater precision demands more data analysts and engineers to fine-tune the algorithms.

3. Global Expansion: "Establishing Branches" Overseas

LINE holds strong market positions in places like Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. To better serve local users, they are hiring local engineers, marketing personnel, and operations staff in these regions for greater localization and relevance.

II. Cultivating Digital Talent: Building the "Youth Academy" & "Internal Training"

Relying solely on external hires isn't enough. It's costly, and integration isn't guaranteed. Thus, a "two-pronged" strategy focused on in-house talent development is vital.

1. For Current Workforce: "Upgrading the Squad's Gear"

The company already has tens of thousands of employees – a massive asset. Upskilling them is far more efficient than total replacement.

"LY University": Their internal learning platform – essentially a "corporate university." Employees access the latest tech training (AI, big data, cloud computing, etc.). Existing staff can reskill through this system for transformation.
Tech Sharing & Project Rotation: Engineers across departments are encouraged to share knowledge and apply for temporary rotations to other projects. It's like a defender experiencing playing striker, fostering better tactical understanding across the team.
Fostering Innovation Culture: Internal "Hackathon" events let employees form teams spontaneously to rapidly develop creative product prototypes. This sparks innovation; the next hit product could emerge here.

2. For Future Talent: "Sowing Seeds" at the Source

To secure a continuous pipeline of fresh talent, they also focus on students.

University Partnerships: Establishing joint labs with top universities, providing research funding, and sending company experts to lecture. The goal: attract standout prospects early, building interest in LY before graduation.
Internships & Campus Recruitment: The most direct approach. High-quality internships let students engage in real projects and experience the company culture. Top performers often secure full-time offers post-graduation. This mirrors a football "youth academy," building both loyalty and fit from the start.
Developer Conferences & Tech Contests: Hosting public tech events serves dual purposes: showcasing LY's technical prowess to attract external talent, and uncovering hidden tech stars through competitions.

In Summary

Simply put, LY's talent strategy is:

Externally: Precision targeting, investing heavily to attract top experts in future-critical fields like AI; Internally: Comprehensive empowerment, enabling existing employees to continuously grow and stay relevant through the internal university and innovation mechanisms; For the Future: Early-stage cultivation, engaging with campuses to nurture and attract the next generation of talent from the source.

This strategy resembles a healthy club operation: boasting star players in their prime, backed by a strong core of homegrown players, and fueled by a steady stream of youth talent. It’s all geared towards ensuring robust combat effectiveness in the fierce global tech competition.