Our New Graduate Recruiting Policy

From a Company That Uses AI to a Company That Creates Value With AI at Its Core

——What does LY Corporation mean by an “AI company”?

It is not simply a company that introduces AI tools to improve operational efficiency. I see it as a company that rethinks services and ways of working with AI as a given, transforming the value we deliver to users and clients.

In our services, AI can support processes that users previously handled themselves, such as searching and comparing, and create experiences that lead naturally to their next action. Our goal is to make those experiences part of everyday life.

LY Corporation has more than 100 million user touchpoints and over 100 services. One of our major strengths is our ability to take AI beyond research and proof-of-concept initiatives and deliver it through services that many people actually use.

At the same time, AI is significantly changing how we build services. Across roles, employees increasingly use AI to turn ideas into tangible forms and validate them in short cycles. We are in the midst of shifting to an AI-first approach to product development.

——So AI is not just a topic for engineers.

That is right. It is essential for every role.

Engineers work on designing and implementing AI features and transforming development processes. Product planners consider and validate the kinds of user experiences AI can enable. Business consultants identify client challenges and support business transformation through proposals that incorporate AI. While applying their respective expertise, people across roles are increasingly using AI to experiment together and engage with products faster and more deeply.

What matters is not simply using AI to become more efficient. It is identifying the challenges users and clients face and turning that understanding into better experiences and business outcomes. I believe everyone shares that responsibility, regardless of role.

Why New Graduate Perspectives Matter Even More in the AI Era

——Why is new graduate recruiting important now that AI adoption is accelerating?

Technology and society are changing rapidly, and past formulas for success may no longer apply as they once did. Every employee, regardless of seniority, needs to be willing to move beyond precedent, embrace new technologies and ideas, and create change.

In that environment, the perspectives and questions brought by new graduates joining the organization are also an important force that helps the company keep evolving. Each person also brings expertise developed through their experiences as a student and their own interests in what they want to do and in which fields. We want them to bring fresh perspectives and questions while putting their own expertise and interests to work.

That is why LY Corporation recruits by role from the application stage, enabling each person to use their expertise and interests and tackle business challenges early in their career. Engineers are selected by specialty, including software, infrastructure, security, and data, while business roles are divided into product planners and business consultants.

To keep evolving as an AI company, we want each person to apply their expertise and interests and make an impact on the business from an early stage.

——What do you focus on during the selection process?

As AI makes it possible to produce a certain level of output more quickly, it becomes even more important to decide what problem should be solved and what value should be delivered to whom.

We look beyond how much knowledge a candidate has. How do they frame a problem? What value do they want to create? Can they work with others to turn that vision into something real and follow through to the end? Those are the capabilities we look for.

We hope candidates stay informed about AI and use it proactively, but not every role requires an AI specialist. At the time of joining, we place greater importance on a willingness to embrace change positively and keep learning what is needed than on the amount of knowledge someone already has.

We believe it is important to have a clear sense of purpose—whose problems you want to address and what you want to change—and to learn and apply the knowledge and skills needed to make that purpose a reality.

Giving New Graduates Work That Reaches Society From Their First Year

——What kind of work do new graduate employees take on after joining?

Because employees join after choosing a role and area of expertise, we want them to apply that expertise early and contribute to actual businesses and services. We do not believe younger employees should be limited to support work. We welcome new graduates not simply as people to develop for the future, but as professionals who can create value from an early stage. We focus on the roles they take on and the results they produce, rather than their years of experience.

For example, a first-year product planner has served as project leader for the development of a new initiative. In another case, an engineer was assigned immediately after placement to renew the architecture of the Yahoo! JAPAN home page and led the work from design through implementation.

These challenges begin not only after placement but during training. In the new graduate training program “Dev Challenge,” a cross-functional team planned an AI agent from scratch and built a working prototype in eight days. In another example, employees in their third year formed a team with members from their new graduate cohort, developed a feature for “Agent i,” and took first place in an internal competition.

——Why give new graduate employees responsible roles so early?

In fast-changing fields, managers and senior colleagues do not always have the right answer. Regardless of seniority, the person who identifies a problem is expected to speak up and take the initiative to turn a solution into reality.

Precisely because change is so rapid today, the perspectives and proposals of new graduate employees can directly lead to new value. We want to give them meaningful work early—work where they can apply their expertise and bring their own intentions and ideas—and help them grow through real-world output.

That does not mean handing over responsibility without preparation or support. I believe people can take on major challenges only when both the individual taking the challenge and the team supporting them are in place.

Learning Independently and Growing Through Practice

——What kind of environment supports growth after joining?

For emerging technologies centered on AI, employees can learn step by step from fundamentals to practical application through company-wide e-learning, “AI Pulse,” which shares the latest examples, and generative AI seminars tailored to different objectives. At work, employees can choose among multiple AI tools depending on the purpose and keep their knowledge current by experimenting as part of their daily work.

At the same time, training and tools alone do not complete the growth process. Employees are expected to gain hands-on experience and deliver value to users and clients, regardless of seniority.

The company offers an environment where employees can draw on widely used services and businesses, accumulated data and technologies, and colleagues with diverse expertise to take on challenges themselves.

——How do you support new graduate employees in succeeding?

In both selection and placement, we carefully consider each person’s expertise, interests, and what they want to accomplish. Rather than deciding based only on the employee’s wishes or only on the company’s needs, we aim for matches that enable people to contribute early.

After placement, we continue to focus on each person’s expertise and capabilities, the role they take on, and the results they produce, and we place importance on providing opportunities, environments, and compensation appropriate to those factors.

——Finally, what would you like to say to people considering applying?

In the years ahead, what matters is not only being able to use AI. It is having the determination to ask, “Whose situation do I want to change, and how?” and continuing to frame valuable questions, learn, and act.

LY Corporation has services used by many people, accumulated data and technologies, and colleagues who can collaborate across roles. It is an environment where ideas do not have to remain ideas—they can be turned into something that reaches society.

Personally, I feel tremendous potential and excitement about this period of transformation as LY Corporation makes a major shift toward becoming an “AI company.” Rather than staying on the same trajectory as before, we are setting out to create the new standards of an emerging era. LY Corporation is now at a particularly exciting stage, with opportunities to take on challenges at that scale.

Rather than waiting for change, I want to create it. I want to combine my expertise with AI and design the everyday experiences of the future. I look forward to beginning the challenge of building a new future together with people who share that determination and have the drive to act.