On Sunday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was putting the country’s nuclear deterrence forces on high alert, Ukraine’s burgeoning local and global technology sector, some of whom are working for global brands such as Google and Apple, was scrambling to protect employees inside the country. Some executives have been unable to coordinate safety measures for teams as Russia’s war escalates, they told Rest of World.
In the last few years, Ukraine became a major IT outsourcing hub, attracting the likes of Amazon, Google, IBM and a host of start-ups. The government envisioned the IT sector becoming 10% of the country’s gross domestic product from the current 4%, and even launched an initiative called “Diia city,” offering one of the world’s best tech tax systems. The information technology sector accounts for $4.5 billion in exports, more than 160,000 IT professionals and more than 4,000 companies, according to non-governmental organization Tech Ukraine. Globally utilized and recognized brands such as GitLab, Grammarly and Preply were founded in Ukraine. According to Pitchbook, 126 startups from around the world have staff based in Ukraine.
- Read the full story on Rest of World
- Google tells Ukraine employees to stay home as city comes under fire (Business Insider, Feb. 25, 2022)
- The impact of the Ukraine crisis on tech workers (Unleash, Feb. 25, 2022)
