Carmakers Compete with Silicon Valley for Talented “Codaholics”

As consumers demand “connected” cars that sync with smartphones, the importance of computer systems in cars is growing. Ernst & Young predicts over the next decade 104 million vehicles around the world will possess “some form of connectivity.” Reuters reported millions of lines of computer code control important auto operations, from braking to air conditioning. Similar to computers and smartphones, electronic parts like sensors and microprocessors comprise the “backbone” of today’s cars.
Automakers are hiring thousands of software programmers – or “codaholics” – who play an even greater role in vehicle design and operation. The impetus to hire “codaholics” is “increasingly pitting Detroit against its technology partners in Silicon Valley,” reports Reuters. It should not be surprising that the state of California – long considered the nation’s high-tech and R&D capital – has the largest number of engineers employed in the U.S. with 62,000. Michigan, however, with a workforce one-quarter the size of the Golden State’s, has nearly 60,000 engineers in its labor force.