Update: Amazon has provided a statement in response to speculation that it is entering the education market. According to a company spokesperson, "Candace is serving as the Director of Learning Science and Engineering within our Global Learning and Development team. Her remit is to help scale and innovate workplace learning at Amazon."
Dive Brief:
- In a move that could mean entrance to the education market, Amazon has hired a Stanford University leader in learning science, cognitive science and more as its director of learning science and engineering, according to a Quartz report.
- Stanford's Candace Thille has taken an 18-month leave of absence to work with Amazon’s Global Learning Development team to scale and innovate workplace learning at Amazon. Thille was not at liberty to discuss any further details, according to Quartz.
- Speculation abounds as to whether Amazon is focused on learning for its own workforce, which just passed the half-million mark, or if the company has set its sights on the e-learning space. Amazon is well-known for investing heavily in its own employees and technology, and it remains to be seen if whatever they develop will extend beyond their own walls.
Dive Insight:
As Amazon continues to grow, so does its need to maintain a highly skilled workforce, so its very possible the hire may be for internal projects. Just few months ago, Amazon announced it would hire 1,000 MBA holders for their expansion; in 2015, the company out-hired tech grads over Microsoft by 2-to-1.
And the company's HQ2 plans involves adding an additional headquarters with 50,000 jobs, meaning that even Amazon must consider what it takes to hire and retain workers. For many workers, efforts must include development opportunities for them to consider staying on.
But if Amazon is in fact considering its own take on e-learning, it will important to watch, as the company enjoys disrupting almost every space it enters.
