A look inside John Deere's new Austin office
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The interior of John Deere's new Austin office. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios
Cold brew on tap, an open floor plan with cozy chairs, modern couches, skyline views and a giant, green tractor in the parking lot. Welcome to John Deere's new South Congress office.
Driving the news: The agricultural machinery company opened its doors Tuesday for an open house, promising an "innovation hub" filled with engineers and an expanded tech team to help farmers become more profitable and sustainable.
The big picture: Roughly 20 employees work out of the new office, but chief technology officer Jahmy Hindman told Axios they plan to reach 50 by the end of 2022 and that number is expected to double one year after that.
Zoom out: It's part of John Deere's broader strategy to become a top employer for tech talent with software developers, machine learning experts, and data and analytics professionals based out of its Austin office.
What they're saying: Farming is complex and "has to use technology" to solve global food production issues, Hindman said.
- "We've got a massive problem, with 7.5 billion people today, headed to 9 billion people in 2030," Hindman said from the second floor of the new John Deere office, which is just above the Tecovas boot store. "You've got to grow more food on the same amount of space. Technology is the answer to that."
The bottom line: The company sees Texas, and Austin specifically, as the perfect place to grow: "This location is great for us because from an agricultural perspective, Texas has it all."