OLX launched its ‘Code and The Curious’ hackathon to hire experts in machine learning & AI

The hackathon helps find the best coding talent, who is a pro in new and disruptive technologies in Machine learning, AI and Data Science

OLX, India’s largest online classified has started off its ‘Code and The Curious’ hackathon to hire Indian techies for positions across the globe. This hackathon helps find the best coding talent, who is a pro in new and disruptive technologies in Machine learning, AI and Data Science.

This hackathon is organised in partnership with HackerRank, which is the leading online technology and programming platform.

Recruitment through this hackathon is done in two phases—first is the online assessment challenge, which is from July 22 to July 27, 2017, followed by a two-day live hackathon session in Gurugram and Bengaluru on August 5 and 12.

The candidates selected from the first phase, go through the interviews for a permanent role at OLX for its global locations in Buenos, Berlin, Lisbon and Gurgaon.

This hackathon is specially designed for data scientists, engineers and coders. Anyone can participate and there is no registration fee. Till now, it has received over 10000 registrations.

Varun Madan, Head of HR, OLX India, said that “One of the highlights of working at OLX is the opportunity to work in 40 other markets across the globe. India is known for its immense tech talent, and we thought it would be fitting to leverage this talent for other markets by recruiting specifically for those countries. ‘Be Open’ is one of our key values. We are open to learning from each other, sharing experiences, and even recruiting the best talent from across other OLX countries.”

The company generates a huge amount of data every year, and it depends on advanced tools and technologies, such as machine learning, data mining and AI to analyse the same. This is the reason why it hires techies adept at using these tools and technologies.

Madan adds that “Innovation is a big focus for this year in order to provide a more friction-free user experience. Our product and tech talent will play a central role in achieving this. The Hackathon, which is centred around machine learning, aims to foster innovation, creativity, and original thinking. While the end-goal of the Hackathon is recruitment, we want to make the process fun.”

OLX has a total of 4000 employees across the globe in its 25 offices. In India, it has more than 33 per cent of employees working in technology and product development, and handling important projects for multiple markets across the globe.