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Topic: IT Employment

Software developers rule the economy now

Summary: 'More and more and more businesses will be going public and profiting on the creative leadership of innovative developers.'

Joe McKendrick

By for Service Oriented |

Marc Andreessen's declaration last summer that software is eating the world has spurred quite a bit of discussion about the overwhelming power of the digital economy. Lately, Patrick Moran added his own additional, interesting perspective: software developers are today's new economic elite.

"Today, companies can’t even succeed without a data API for hackers. Ask Box.net. Ask Salesforce. Ask any relevant software company. Social. Mobile. Global. Big Data. APIs. These software strategies are more critical than ever before. This isn’t temporary. This is the future. More and more (and more) businesses will be going public and/or profiting on the creative leadership of innovative developers."

Patrick adds that our economic future lies with what he proudly calls "the nerds" - specifically, he adds, "those nerds that code. And this is a good thing. They are smart. There has never been a better time to be a nerdpreneur."

Patrick's company, New Relic, posts a video that pays homage to developers in the style of the famous Apple "Think Different" commercial:

"Here's to the developers, the geeks, the nerds, the hackers. The ones who see things differently. And they're not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo.

They work nights. They start companies. They sit alone with their headphones because they're busy changing the world. They invent. They code. They explore. They inspire. They push the Internet forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty screen, and see a work of art? Or gaze at a thousand lines of code and see the future?  ...

While some may see them as geeks, we see genius. For the ones that make magic with code are the ones who will one day rule the world."

(Photo: Wikipedia.)

Topics: IT Employment, Apps, CXO, Software, Software Development

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9 comments
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  • thoughts

    "Today, companies can???t even succeed without a data API for hackers. Ask Box.net. Ask Salesforce. Ask any relevant software company."

    Don't ask construction workers ;)?

    Meh, I'd call this a bit biased towards the software industry. Which is a nice industry, but hardly the only one in existence.

    I love programming, and I love being part of the industry, but I'd rather have some perspective on reality, thanks.
    CobraA1
    Reply Vote

  • Logic not magic, please

    "For the ones that make magic with code are the ones who will one day rule the world."

    I hope the world will be ruled by those who make logic rather than make magic.

    Surely making "magic" implies that the results will be totally unpredictable, mysterious and contradictory. We have enough of that already.
    jorwell
    Reply Vote

  • As long as the 'nerdpreneurs' in question....

    ....Are young (under 30), male, white or Asian and graduated from the right school with the right degree. All others need not apply for VC funding or even jobs.
    ancientprogrammer
    Reply Vote

    • That's not true...

      I'm over 40 and graduated from a business school, not an engineering/tech school and I'm gainfully employed (for now, of course, who knows what will happen in the future!)

      Experience goes a long way these days.
      sjanofsky@...
      Reply Vote

      • He was talking about VC funding

        Not individual jobs.
        happyharry_z
        Reply Vote

  • Huh?

    Whenever I look at IT help wanted lists, it seems to be 3/4 support & infrastructure jobs, and the rest demand VERY specific skill sets and/or certifications.

    Somehow 30+ years of experience translating user-speak into useable applications gets no respect unless you are up-to-the-minute on the particular technology they use.
    CodeCurmudgeon
    Reply Vote

    • So true

      Flavor of the week wins every time. Then tastes change and there's a new pet rock...
      happyharry_z
      Reply Vote

    • it seems to me they're all bodyshoppers...

      It seems to me that all of the ads are posted by bodyshoppers, not software product development firms. Many of the job ad sites refuse to differentiate the real jobs from the temp gigs, because it would be so embarrassing.
      Professor8
      Reply Vote

  • sounds like Y2K bubble again

    been there with the 'new economy'!
    The Linux Geek
    Reply Vote
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