John Deere Development Facility Coming to Austin

This week the Austin American Statesman ran an article stating that the tractor company will establish a technology center in Austin.  One would think that such a facility would be located in Kansas and not Austin, but read on.

Julian Sanchez, the company’s director of emerging technology stated that being in Austin will bring access to universities, startups, and incubators.  In other words, Austin is the place to be regarding technology, and I should add that it is cheaper than Silicon Valley. And Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer for John Deere, said Austin is a growing destination for some of the brightest minds in tech, and opening an office in Central Texas will help the company expand its talent pool and better collaborate.

Presently Deere has a dozen employees here with plans to grow to about 75 to 100 within a year and will fill a 10,000 sf space located in Austin.  Julian Sanchez said the company was drawn not only to Central Texas’s existing tech talent, but also felt that Austin is a place where the company could find diverse perspectives and problem solvers, Sanchez said the company is always looking around for new locations, places and environments, where the company can tap into not just tech talent but also brings diverse perspectives and experience.  Sanchez said Austin already has a thriving software scene, as well as companies working on high-tech vehicle technology including electrification and automation in cars. All of that was a draw for John Deere executives.

Sanchez went also stated that in agriculture, you’re recording everything that happens in the field, where ever seed is placed, what chemicals are applied, and all that data is moving back and forth to the cloud.” Sanchez said the company’s South Congress office lets them feel really part of Austin and its culture while also giving them close access to Texas farmland