duolingo and technology shifts

John Chambers brings up an interesting point in the article “Cisco’s CEO on Staying Ahead of Technology Shifts”: Location, location, location.  In a country as geographically diverse and spread out as the United States is, it can still be easy to feel connected with people all over due to emerging technology, and further, that you are at the center of it all.  However, Chambers reminds us that when it comes to market disruptions, or even just general business, location can make a huge difference, as it did in the example of microcomputer companies and with Microsoft and the adaption to the internet.  Chambers follows up that thought with the idea of culture (something that we’ve talked several times about in class), and how part of culture means change on all levels. 

            With this in mind, it was interesting to see how Pittsburgh based (And CMU founded) startup company, duolingo is now marketing in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Francisco, to bring the technology and attitude of Silicon Valley to Pittsburgh, rather than relocating there. Posting a billboard on the busy US-101 in San Francisco, duolingo’s message is simple: “Own a home. Work in tech. Move to Pittsburgh” (https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgo5idhgLKV/?hl=en&taken-by=luisvonahn). Rather than relocating to the heart of it all, duolingo is redefining what it means to be cutting age in the tech space to include having your own home and space. 

            I also think it’s fascinating to consider how part of this branding is to attract new people to the company; “bringing in new expertise and sustaining a resilient culture with an appetite for change”.  Tech companies in general are seeing a trend that the market isn’t just about having a great salary anymore, but about having a life, and in some ways, this focus on the employee experience is just as important as the customer experience.  Again, this goes to the point that Chambers made that culture is important: bring in people who are adaptable and who can add a different perspective.  That is what duolingo is trying to do with its recruitment strategy, and I’m sure that is why duolingo is succeeding.

            It is all too easy to focus on the customers and the shareholders, and to ignore the importance of recruiting top talent and being connected to the wider industry, which is why duolingo is so admirable.