From sneakers to beakers: Amgen poaches Nike’s AI chief to boost drug development

The pharmaceutical industry‘s race for AI talent is prompting companies like Amgen to look beyond traditional healthcare backgrounds, reflecting a strategic shift that could transform drug discovery timelines. By recruiting expertise from consumer tech sectors, biotech firms aim to leverage artificial intelligence to address the inefficiencies of traditional drug development, which typically requires over a decade and billions in investment. This cross-industry talent acquisition represents a calculated bet that external AI perspectives can accelerate innovation in an industry ripe for technological disruption.

The unconventional hire: Amgen, the $151 billion biotech giant, recruited its head of artificial intelligence from Nike rather than from within the pharmaceutical industry.

• Dr. David Reese, Amgen’s first chief technology officer, deliberately sought talent outside traditional biotech, eventually bringing on Sean Bruich, who had spent 11 years at Nike after previous roles at Google and Facebook.
• Despite Bruich’s lack of molecular biology background, Reese specifically valued his external perspective, telling him during recruitment: “We’ve got those, they are really good, among the best in the world, and we need what you can bring to the table.”

Why this matters: The talent strategy reflects the pharmaceutical industry’s recognition that AI expertise is scarce within healthcare but essential for future competitiveness.

• Most elite data scientists have developed their expertise in consumer technology, finance, and other sectors rather than in healthcare environments.
• Amgen’s approach suggests that technical AI implementation skills may be more transferable across industries than previously assumed, particularly for scaling systems from proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide deployment.

The big picture: Amgen is betting on AI to dramatically improve the economics and timelines of drug development, currently one of the most expensive and time-consuming innovation processes in any industry.

• According to PhRMA, bringing a new drug from discovery to approval typically takes at least 10 years and costs an average of $2.6 billion.
• Dr. Reese, an oncologist by training who previously led Amgen’s R&D, believes recent AI advances represent “a once-in-a-generation moment that will ultimately change this industry” by potentially cutting years off development timelines.

Key initiatives: Amgen has already begun significant infrastructure investments to support its AI ambitions.

• The company installed an Nvidia supercomputer at its deCode genetics subsidiary in Reykjavik, Iceland, to analyze massive genetic datasets in search of new treatments.
• This computational power could be particularly valuable for tackling molecular-level complexities in conditions like lupus and other autoimmune diseases, according to Reese.

Bruich’s mandate: The new AI leader’s role encompasses both technical applications and organizational transformation.

• His responsibilities span from protein folding for drug design to streamlining regulatory filings, reflecting the breadth of AI’s potential impact across the pharmaceutical value chain.
• As Bruich explained: “My job is to figure out how to scale these things from proof points to systems that operate at enterprise levels.”