News & Updates

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Visits AppDirect, Talks Growth and Innovation

By Dan Saks / Feb 09, 2018

One of my favorite parts of my job is to welcome visitors to AppDirect’s headquarters in San Francisco and give them a tour. It’s gratifying to not only share the stunning city views we enjoy, but also show them firsthand all of the collaborative, innovative work that’s being done by our customers, partners, and team to power the digital economy.

Yesterday, I was privileged to give a particularly special tour to a special guest. The AppDirect team was honored to welcome Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to our San Francisco offices. His trip to the Bay Area marks the first time that a sitting Canadian Prime Minister has visited Silicon Valley, and we are elated to be part of his view into technology companies that are revolutionizing the way people live and work.

While here, Prime Minister Trudeau spoke with our team about the digital economy and how it is opening new opportunities for growth in the United States, Canada, and around the world. He also talked about the importance of the strong bonds between Canadian and U.S. technology and innovation hubs, as well as how the ideas that spring from this collaboration are driving change. As he put it: “The world is going through a transformation right now, and we need to make sure we are a part of that.”

To build on that spirit of growth and collaboration, yesterday we also made a major announcement: AppDirect is committing to creating 300 jobs in Canada over the next five years. We will open a new sales office in Toronto, and expand our engineering teams in our existing Montreal and Calgary offices. Attracting strong talent, both in the U.S. and Canada, is a key part of our growth strategy, and we're excited about the opportunities this investment will bring.

AppDirect has always had deep Canadian roots. Both my co-founder and I are native Canadians, and a sizable portion of our team lives and works in Canada. However, national pride isn’t the reason the Prime Minister’s visit was so important. The digital economy is being driven by new, exciting ideas across the globe. That’s why we came to Silicon Valley, that’s why we’re investing in more jobs in Canada, and that’s why we will continue to expand and have presence wherever innovative ideas thrive.

Dan Saks is co-founder and co-CEO of AppDirect.