The global race for DeepTech talent is accelerating. From OpenAI and Anthropic to Meta and Google, leading players are competing for the same small pool of world-class engineers and researchers. For CTOs, CPOs, founders and other technology leaders hiring in Switzerland or Europe, talent is now the decisive strategic asset.
This article highlights key insights from the new whitepaper “Navigating the European DeepTech Talent Landscape in 2025”, co-created by Greater Zurich Area Ltd (GZA), ANYbotics, the ETH AI Center, and Rockstar Recruiting to help executives make better strategic decisions about where and how to build DeepTech teams in Europe.
A New Whitepaper Co-Created with Greater Zurich’s DeepTech Ecosystem
To support international tech companies in building and scaling highly productive engineering and research teams in Europe, the new whitepaper “Navigating the European DeepTech Talent Landscape in 2025” has been co-authored by leading experts from Greater Zurich’s robotics, AI, and talent ecosystem:
- Greater Zurich Area Ltd (GZA) – Global expansion and ecosystem experts
- ANYbotics – A robotics pioneer scaling DeepTech teams from Zurich
- ETH AI Center – One of Europe’s leading AI research hubs
- Rockstar Recruiting – DeepTech & AI recruiting specialists headquartered in Zurich
The paper explains why Greater Zurich has become one of Europe’s most attractive DeepTech hubs: world-class universities, dense corporate R&D, a thriving startup scene, high retention, and a very business-friendly regulatory environment.
“Greater Zurich represents an investment in sustained quality that ultimately delivers better value over time.”
– from the whitepaper
As the whitepaper notes, Switzerland consistently tops global talent rankings and combines high productivity, long tenure, and moderate corporate tax with exceptional quality of life – a combination highly relevant for C-level decision-makers selecting engineering hub locations.
Read the Whitepaper
Browse the full PDF directly below in an A4-style viewer, or open it in a separate tab for later board discussions or print it out for your next strategy offsite:
Why Talent Density Beats Cost Arbitrage
Recent high-profile AI poaching battles between Meta, OpenAI, and other AI labs show the true market signal: exceptional talent is scarce, and its impact is multiplicative. For executives, the location decision is less about headline salary and more about long-term value creation.
“If quality and skills of your employees are crucial for your business, the key question is: do you simply want lower cost or top-tier talent and productivity?”
– ETH AI Center, quoted in the whitepaper
The whitepaper argues that while salaries in Greater Zurich are higher than in some EU hubs, longer tenure, higher productivity, and low volatility often make the total cost of talent competitive or even lower over a multi-year horizon – especially for DeepTech product and platform teams.
Six Concrete Strategies to Hire in Switzerland & Europe
Based on the roundtable discussion and the whitepaper, here are six practical strategies for CTOs, VPs of Engineering, CPOs, HR leaders, and founders who want to build strong DeepTech teams in Switzerland and across Europe.
-
01
Be Present in Local DeepTech Communities
Switzerland is a physical market – trust is built at meetups, lab events, conferences, and through personal referrals. Sponsor hackathons, give tech talks, contribute to open-source and university projects. For executives, allocating budget and time for these activities is often more effective than scaling cold outbound.
-
02
Leverage Academic Ties Early
Build structured relationships with ETH Zurich, ETH AI Center, ZHAW, EPFL and other universities. Professors, lab managers, and alumni networks are powerful connectors for both internships and senior hires. At executive level, a clear internship-to-hire strategy can become a repeatable talent pipeline.
-
03
Work with Specialist DeepTech Recruiters
For robotics, applied AI, or hardcore infrastructure roles, generalist recruiting often fails. Partner with local DeepTech specialists like Rockstar Recruiting who already know the market, salary bands, and candidate pools – instead of trying to build everything in-house from day one. This is particularly relevant when executives need to move from “no team” to “core team” quickly.
-
04
Lead with Purpose, Not Only Pay
The whitepaper highlights that Swiss professionals care strongly about mission, impact, and work-life balance. Projects in sustainability, health, robotics, or security often attract talent even if you’re not the absolute top payer in the market. Executives should ensure that the company narrative clearly links technical work to real-world impact.
-
05
Offer Competitive & Predictable Packages
Strong base salary plus bonus is standard. Equity helps, but clarity on pension contributions, vacation, remote/hybrid policy, and career paths is often just as important – and supports long-term retention. From an executive perspective, standardized, transparent packages reduce negotiation friction and help scale hiring.
-
06
Run a Fast, Respectful Hiring Process
The whitepaper recommends 3–4 interviews plus one practical exercise as a good rule of thumb. Decide quickly, communicate clearly, and treat candidates’ time with respect – it’s one of the strongest differentiators in a competitive market. For leadership teams, aligning on this process and enforcing SLAs is key.
Plan Your Next Hiring Step in Greater Zurich
Whether you’re opening your first European engineering hub or expanding an existing AI, robotics, or software platform team, the whitepaper provides a practical playbook for executives on how to hire and retain DeepTech talent in Switzerland and Europe.
“If hiring the best minds in tech is a priority, Greater Zurich should be on your map.”
