Despite finishing up one of the most turbulent years in recent history, there’s plenty of good news to go around. Perhaps the biggest curveball life threw our way was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the way we go about day-to-day life turned on its head, innovators across the country showed just how adaptable they could be.
As employees all over were forced to go remote, this didn’t hinder the progress of several tech companies throughout Colorado. Thanks to the state’s welcoming tech climate, several companies relocated their offices and brought jobs along with them.
Built In Colorado reports year-round to keep readers updated on the local tech scene. With news from big names including Google and Amazon in addition to more homegrown innovations, we wanted to share the top five stories that garnered the most attention in 2020 as we step into the new year.
#5. Google is doubling its Colorado headcount. Back in February, Google planned a $10 billion investment into its U.S. offices and listed the 11 states it aimed to invest in. The company set its sights especially on Colorado and pinpointed the city of Boulder. With 47 jobs open in the city where it currently employs more than 1,300 people, the tech giant is searching to fill roles in sales, engineering, design and more.
#4. Wix is opening an office in Denver. In the middle of summer, the company spoke to how it was helping individuals and businesses search for ways to adapt to the changing times and economic climate. Thanks in no small part to this trend, Wix’s website-building platform experienced a surge of growth in the spring with 3.2 million new customers and a 63 percent increase in users. With those numbers and Colorado’s business climate in mind, the company announced its plans to expand into Denver and fill its new office with 200 employees.
#3. Amazon created 100 Denver jobs. The e-commerce giant experienced a significant spike in growth during the pandemic, and, to keep up with demand, it had to hire more than 100,000 new workers. At the end of summer, the company announced the addition of 3,500 new tech jobs in the U.S. It slated 100 of them for Denver where it also plans to build a 20,000-square-foot office to accommodate its new employees. The company will hire in multiple roles across several of its businesses including Amazon Web Services, Alexa, Amazon Advertising, Amazon Fashion, OpsTech and Amazon Fresh.
#2. Colorado’s state government built its own tech startup. In autumn, the state government announced that it’s working to be a consistent tech presence in the day-to-day lives of Colorado residents by building innovative solutions. The governor appointed Anthony Neal-Graves last month to be the chief operations officer for the Office of Information Technology, as reported by Government Technology. With the help of the new leadership, the state government plans to leverage the resources in its consolidated OIT to work on delivering and expanding citizens’ virtual access to the government’s services.
#1. Colorado welcomed an inrush of tech companies. As we reported in September, entities of all sizes are leading an exodus to Colorado, and many of them are relocating their headquarters entirely. Among them is Palantir, having found refuge in Denver from the “intolerance and monoculture” of the Silicon Valley business climate, as phrased by the company’s CEO. A number of companies have a significant Colorado footprint including Facebook, Slack, Zoom and more. The state has a thriving tech ecosystem, as well as a low cost of living, making it ideal for tech companies looking to expand their presences in the Centennial State, a 2020 trend that is likely to continue in 2021 and beyond.
