IBM chief scientist Ruchir Puri to engineering grads: Don't just think, 'I'm going to work for Google, Microsoft, IBM; you have to ...

IBM chief scientist Ruchir Puri has a piece of advice for the young engineering graduates. Speaking in an interview with Business Insider, Puri has advised the recent engineering graduates to broaden their job search and look beyond usual tech titans such as Google, Microsoft and even IBM itself. “Stop only chasing the tech giants everyone else is pining after. Don't just go for the standard 'I'm going to go and work for Google, Microsoft, IBM,' Ruchir Puri said. The advice from Puri comes at a time when the job market is seeing a shift and the demand for AI talent across industries is growing. Puri who has spent more than 30 years at IBM, emphasised that artificial intelligence is transforming every sector ranging from agriculture to retail. He also stressed on the fact that software engineers are increasingly needed in places that graduates might not consider.

Explaining his point, Puri gave an example of John Deere, an agricultural equipment giant, as an example of a company making a measurable impact with technology, yet often overlooked by job seekers focused solely on Silicon Valley.

He said job seekers should widen their search "beyond a narrow set of technology companies" and also consider the "massive enterprise landscape."


The comments made by Puri come as fresh graduates are facing a challenging hiring landscape. According to an August report from Handshake, job postings dropped by 16% year-over-year, while the applications per job surged by 26%. The tech sector, despite its heavy investment in AI, has seen widespread layoffs in 2025, with cuts at Salesforce, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon. IBM itself announced earlier this month that it would lay off thousands of employees from its global workforce in Q4.

Puri also stressed that meaningful work can be found in industries undergoing digital transformation — including transportation, manufacturing, and energy — where software engineers play a vital role in reshaping operations and driving innovation. “You are impacting something that is fundamental to the global economy — and it’s not just about technology,” he said.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna echoed this same sentiment

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna also echoed the same sentiment as Puri. In a recent interview with CNN, Krishna said that the company is planning to increase hiring among recent college graduates in the coming year, especially in AI-focused roles. “People are talking about either layoffs or freezing hiring, but I actually want to say that we are the opposite,” Krishna told CNN last week. “I expect we are probably going to hire more people out of college over the next 12 months than we have in the past few years, so you’re going to see that.”

Krishna acknowledged that automation would inevitably lead to some reductions but stated that “on the net mix, it’s a plus for us.” He also shared advice for young graduates to focus on the right skills for the AI era.

“Skills of people are really important,” Krishna said adding “We need skills in AI. We need skills in quantum. We need skills that our clients feel really good about technology being deployed in their environment.”