Benjamin Klein

Lead ML Engineer

San Francisco, California, United States18 yrs 8 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchAI ML Practitioner

Key Highlights

Leading innovative ML teams at Netflix.
Pioneering multimodal GenAI systems for global marketing.
Expert in scaling AI-driven creative processes.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in Media & Marketing technology with a focus on AI-driven solutions.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

GenaiMachine Learning

Other Skills

Team LeadershipComputer VisionAlgorithmsDeep LearningData MiningPythonManagementSearchC++MatlabSoftware EngineeringComputer ScienceC#JavaLinux

About

I lead a multi-team Machine Learning organization at Netflix, focused on a single, critical mission: Scaling high-fidelity, multimodal retrieval and generative systems for a global audience. While the industry is flooded with generative models, the primary bottleneck to business impact is Evaluation and Alignment. My teams are bridging this gap by institutionalizing LLM-as-a-Judge (LaaJ) frameworks and automated quality gates that move GenAI from "experimental demo" to "production-grade engine." Core Focus Areas: ● Multimodal Innovation: Directing the development of retrieval and generation systems across Image, Text, and Video to power global promotional ecosystems. ● Precision Alignment: Scaling fine-tuning strategies (SFT, DPO) and Diffusion models to ensure brand-safe, high-fidelity creative output. ● The "Metrics of Success": Pioneering LLM-as-a-Judge (LaaJ) frameworks and custom analytics to prove the ROI of GenAI workflows. I believe that the next era of AI isn't just about the models we build, but the rigor with which we measure and scale them. I thrive at the center of complex technical roadmaps and cross-functional leadership.

Experience

18 yrs 8 mos

Total Experience

3 yrs 8 mos

Average Tenure

7 yrs 10 mos

Current Experience

Netflix

3 roles

Senior Manager, Machine Learning (GenAI & Multimodal Retrieval for Media & Marketing)

Promoted

Mar 2026 – Present · 2 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

Directing a multi-team organization at the intersection of Multimodal GenAI and global marketing. My focus is on the strategic scaling of generative systems and the implementation of rigorous evaluation frameworks to ensure production-grade reliability.
● Multimodal Roadmap: Overseeing the strategy for Image, Text, and Video retrieval and generation systems that power Netflix’s global promotional ecosystem.
● Evaluation Standardization (LaaJ): Operationalizing LLM-as-a-Judge (LaaJ) frameworks for quality assessment, ensuring all outputs align with Netflix’s creative and brand standards.
● Model Alignment Strategy: Leading the organizational shift toward SFT and DPO techniques to refine model performance and creative nuance across multimodal workflows.
● Performance & Metrics Infrastructure: Driving the implementation of comprehensive analytics to measure the systemic impact and efficiency of AI-driven creative processes.
● Cross-Functional Leadership: Partnering with marketing and creative leadership to integrate GenAI capabilities into the global business strategy, ensuring technical efforts translate into measurable value.

Team LeadershipGenAIMachine LearningComputer VisionAlgorithmsDeep Learning+2

Manager, Computer Vision and Machine Learning

Apr 2023 – Apr 2026 · 3 yrs · San Francisco Bay Area

Leading an innovative team at the forefront of AI-driven content promotion
Spearhead the development of cutting-edge Computer Vision and Machine Learning algorithms to revolutionize promotional media creation
Drive the integration of GenAI technologies to enhance personalization and engagement
Oversee end-to-end ML pipelines, from data processing to model deployment, ensuring scalability and performance
Foster cross-functional collaborations to align AI innovations with business objectives and content strategy
Mentor and grow a team of talented ML engineers and researchers, cultivating a culture of innovation and technical excellence

ManagementMachine Learning

Staff Research Scientist

Aug 2018 – Apr 2023 · 4 yrs 8 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

Led cutting-edge research and development in Computer Vision and Machine Learning, focusing on innovative solutions for content promotion and user engagement.
Served as Tech Lead for Promotional Media Algorithms, driving the research agenda for content understanding and asset creation
Pioneered advanced computer vision and deep learning techniques to analyze and optimize video content for promotional purposes
Developed and implemented novel algorithms for automated video editing and thumbnail generation, significantly improving content discoverability
Collaborated with cross-functional teams to integrate research findings into production systems, enhancing the Netflix user experience
Mentored researchers and engineers, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning

Ebay inc

Senior Member of Technical Staff - Researcher - Image Search

Dec 2014 – Aug 2018 · 3 yrs 8 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

Leading the research behind eBay’s Image Search
Designing the overall system architecture
Researching and implementing innovative methods for fine-grained image similarity
Responsible for scaling Image Search from a prototype to a user-facing product
Close collaboration with engineers on integrating research into production
Cross team collaboration with researchers on using image similarity for other products
Mentorship and consultant to junior researchers and engineers
Interviewing and hiring researchers and machine learning engineers
Involvement in M&A activities for computer vision
Involvement in cross-company decisions on hardware & platform for deep learning