Jack Hidary is a technology researcher and entrepreneur. Hidary has collaborated with MIT on a series of papers focused on deep learning. In particular, the papers address the generalization of deep learning networks. Hidary is also the author of Quantum Computing: An Applied Approach.
Entrepreneurial career
EarthWeb/Dice Inc.: In 1995, Jack Hidary co-founded the IT information portal EarthWeb with his brother Murray Hidary and entrepreneur Nova Spivack. In 1998, they took the company public. Earthweb's IPO was one of the largest first-day returns in NASDAQ history. In 1999, under Hidary's leadership, EarthWeb acquired the tech career website Dice.com. In 2000, the team renamed the company Dice Inc and then later as DHI Holdings, Inc.
Vista Research: Hidary co-founded Vista Research in 2001 as an independent financial research company serving institutional investors, drawing on experts in the fields of technology, media, telecommunications, energy, aerospace and healthcare. Vista Research was acquired in 2005 by the Standard & Poor’s division of McGraw-Hill.
On July 17, 2013, Hidary announced his intent to run as an independent on a new party line called the Jobs and Education Party for New York City Mayor and succeed Michael Bloomberg. The New York Times described his political leanings as "socially progressive, fiscally reserved, and digitally savvy," and his primary goals are to better education, foster small business growth and spur employment across all boroughs, and attract companies and investment to New York. One of his primary initiatives is to increase productivity by wiring all of the city’s schools, businesses and neighborhoods for broadband Internet service. Another focus is to increase the number of tech incubators and shared workspaces across the city. On November 5, Jack Hidary lost to Bill de Blasio in the Mayoral Election.
Education
Hidary studied philosophy and neuroscience at Columbia University and was awarded a Stanley Fellowship in Clinical Neuroscience at the National Institutes of Health. At NIH, Hidary focused on functional MRI studies of brain function and the application of neural network technologies to the analysis and modelling of fMRI imaging data and brain function.
