New towers with 20,000 square meters of space have sprung to life near the famous “Geese” buildings of Novosibirsk Technopark. Though the towers have a gothic appearance, they bear a cool name - Port i7. This references not just the address (7 Inzhenernaya Street) but many other things as well.
It’s interesting to consider the long-term effects of this development. When it comes to hiring IT specialists, Moscow and Novosibirsk are roughly on par. Novosibirsk offers lower average salaries but also has a smaller talent pool. Moscow has a huge selection of specialists but demands higher salaries.
However, Moscow has always had the upper hand in sales. Selling products in Moscow is an order of magnitude easier, making it particularly challenging for purely local businesses in Novosibirsk.
While office buildings symbolize ambition, it would be good to see not just office space growing, but also local demand for technology. There’s hope here - after all, Novosibirsk holds a Guinness World Record as the fastest-growing city in the world.