Eastern Europe created its own Silicon Valley. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine risks it all

Eastern Europe created its own Silicon Valley. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine risks it all

Technology has been at the center of national security and global economic concerns for years. U.S. President Joe Biden used his State of the Union address this week to again focus on competition with China and competitiveness in technology manufacturing. But that speech was overwhelmed by the more immediate concern of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and there is another key link in the technology sector that the first land war in Europe since WWII has highlighted: in Eastern Europe. Ukraine, Belarus and Russia – three countries now intertwined in war – have grown into essential growth areas for tech talent in a world more reliant on digital than ever before. From start-ups sourcing the developers and engineers they need to get to the next level, to already established corporations relying on software partners for digital transformation, hundreds of thousands of tech workers in the region have become critical to the global economy. Gartner estimates there are over one million IT professionals in the three countries, with one-quarter (250,000) working for consulting or outsourcing firms. There were , according to Amsterdam-based software development outsourcing company Daxx, which says that 20% of Fortune 500 companies have their remote development teams in Ukraine. Software