Assertion Supported AI assessment confidence: 95% certainty 4/5 debate potential 1/5

Schwartz recruited an Xbox Kinect creator to build PepsiCo vending machines

Matt Schwartz · EP 418: Executive Recruiter Made $1.1M 2015, Super High Profit Margin with Matt Schwartz of MJSearch.com · Sep 15, 2016 · at 5:09

Matt Schwartz, founder of MJS Executive Search, explains how his firm poached tech talent to modernize PepsiCo's vending machines.

0:00 / 0:09exact quote · 9.9s

720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark

“And we actually, our first placement in that division was one of the creators of Xbox Connect at Microsoft to lead vending machines at PepsiCo.”

quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →

The claim, plainly

MJS Executive Search recruited one of the creators of Xbox Kinect from Microsoft to lead vending machine equipment development at PepsiCo.

a quote alone can be ambiguous, so this restates it with the references and context of the conversation around it resolved. AI-written; the tape below the player is the source.

Assessment

Every element of the claim is corroborated by independent biographical and corporate records. Richard Velazquez, who served as a core hardware product management lead for the Xbox Kinect at Microsoft in Redmond, was recruited in August 2011 to join PepsiCo as Senior Director of Innovation. In this role, he led PepsiCo's newly established equipment innovation division, designing next-generation vending machines and smart coolers (including interactive touchless vending units incorporating Kinect motion-sensing technology). MJS Executive Search and its founder Matt Schwartz documented this placement under their completed searches roster (Senior Director, Smart Equipment Innovation / Marketing Equipment Innovation) and detailed the engagement in published case analysis.

Biographical and interview records confirm Richard Velazquez was a hardware product planning and management lead for Xbox Kinect at Microsoft before being recruited to PepsiCo in August 2011.
At PepsiCo, Velazquez served as Senior Director leading the equipment innovation team developing interactive, smart vending machines and coolers.
MJS Executive Search's completed searches roster and published case studies document their recruitment of the Xbox Kinect creator to PepsiCo to lead smart equipment and vending machine innovation.

Checked against

[1] haaspodcasts.org [2] haaspodcasts.org [3] nwasianweekly.com [4] nwasianweekly.com [5] haaspodcasts.org [6] haaspodcasts.org [7] vendingmarketwatch.com [8] lasvegassun.com

"Richard Velazquez" "Senior Director" "PepsiCo" "Equipment" OR "Innovation" PepsiCo "Xbox" OR "Kinect" "vending" OR "cooler" director OR lead OR VP "Microsoft" "PepsiCo" "Kinect" "vending" "MJS Executive Search" "PepsiCo" "vending" OR "equipment" site:hiec.com "vending" OR "Xbox" "Matt Schwartz" "HIEC" "MJS"

assessed as of 2026-09-02

This assessment is an AI reading of a public statement, made against the cited references with the confidence shown. It can be wrong. The quote, the tape and the references are all on this page; if something is off, use report an error below. full disclaimer →

Mentioned

Microsoft MJS Executive Search PepsiCo

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Insight

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Assertion Not publicly verifiable

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Assertion Not checkable as stated

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Assertion Not checkable as stated

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“1.1.”

Matt Schwartz Sep 15, 2016 ▶ 11:02 EP 418: Executive Recruiter Made $1.1M 2015, Super High Profit Margin with Matt Schwartz of MJSearch.com

Assertion Not checkable as stated

Schwartz: MJS Executive Search netted over $600K profit in 2015

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Disclosure

Schwartz allocates revenue: 35% OpEx, 20% pay, 30% taxes, 15% profit

“When a check comes in, I have a formula in which I break up the money into different buckets. 35% goes to operating expense, 20% goes directly to owner's pay, 30% goes to taxes, and 15% goes directly to the profit bucket.”

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Schwartz recruited an Xbox Kinect creator to build PepsiCo vending machines

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