February 8, 2021 CEO Mike Morris on Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast

Topcoder CEO Mike Morris appeared on the Disruptive CEO Nation podcast and spoke with host Allison Summers about the passion economy, Topcoder’s history, and why he often describes us as “a community with a company.” Mike shares what he’s learned over nearly two decades of leadership in the technology space, and where he sees the future of work going in the coming years. Enjoy the full conversation and highlighted excerpts below.

SETTING OUT TO Solve a Simple Problem

Topcoder launched in 2001, when some of today’s most commonplace technologies and digital tools were still very much in their nascent stages. Outsourcing and on-demand talent was not yet accepted by most established brands and companies. According to Mike, “The whole idea of Topcoder was, ‘Can we create and aggregate a global community of technology experts? Can we find this talent base? Can we grow it? Can we cultivate it?'”

Now, Topcoder has grown to a global community of over 1.5 million people in every single country around the globe, and the health of our community is core to our success. As Mike puts it: “I always say if our community is happy, our customers are happy. The reverse is not true.”

EVOLVING the Gig Economy TO The Passion Economy

Allison describes Topcoder as working within the philosophy and context of the gig economy. While that’s true, Mike offers that Topcoder is an example of the passion economy, in that our community members:

• choose to work in areas they’re super passionate about
• are passionate about learning new skills
• are passionate about showing off the skills they have
• are passionate about the fact that they can make an impact

Topcoder is heavily investing in nurturing our community and bolstering their loyalty and happiness. The passion economy creates outcomes that benefit both customers and talent.

Thanks to Allison Summers for having Mike on the show. And don’t forget—Topcoder interviews experts about the future of work on our very own Uprisor podcast. 

Uprisor podcast A unique future of work discussion crafted for enterprise leaders

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