I lead data science at Grab. Ask me anything!

NOTE: This AMA has ended. Find the Q&A with Kong-wei in the comments.

Hi TIA Community!

I’m Kong-wei, head of data science for Grab. Based in Singapore, I lead a department consisting of teams that look after machine learning, markets, optimization, simulation, forecasting, and architecture.

Grab delivers over 6 million rides a day, and the data science team drives the intelligence and optimization behind every one of those trips—before, during, and after. More than that, we’re also collaborating with partners to see how our data and technology can help solve some of the bigger challenges in Southeast Asia, like congestion.

Before Grab, I worked at a home energy management startup, was a research scientist at A*STAR, and was even an adjunct assistant professor at Singapore Management University. In my spare time, I enjoy tending to my orchids. Orchids are amazingly resilient plants, and like data scientists, they bloom when you put them in the right places and leave them alone. 🙂

Please ask me anything! Some of the things I’d love to discuss:

• What’s it like to be a data scientist at Grab
• How I got into this career
• How we use data and AI to deliver better experiences for passengers and drivers
• The problems that data science tries to solve
• Anything about AI, machine learning, and optimization!

Note from Putra, TIA’s head of community content: The host may choose at his preference to not answer particular questions. The AMA is moderated by the community managers, so let’s keep the questions friendly. 🙂