Seeking the Hire Ground: Dropbox Founder Drew Houston and MIT Tech Review Editor Jason Pontin Take a Deep-Dive Into the Innovation Industry's 'War for Talent'

MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Hosts Fireside Chat on January 27 to Address One of the Global Economy's Greatest Challenges


CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwired - Jan 23, 2014) - George Orwell once said that the quickest way to end a war is to lose it.

That may be true. But, that's not a strategy that thousands of technology companies worldwide care to pursue. 

Join Dropbox Founder and Chief Executive Officer Drew Houston and MIT Tech Review Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jason Pontin as they delve into the most pressing issues shaping this global war for tech talent. Hosted by MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, the evening is being sponsored by Wayfair.com, the world's largest online retailer of home furnishings and décor.

Date: January 27, 2014
Time: 5-7 p.m. US ET
Location: MIT Stata Center, Kirsch Auditorium
To Register: http://bit.ly/1au3Jfp 

Without a large and growing pool of talent -- from programming, production and product marketing to sales, supply chain and cloud services -- the innovation economy will find itself at a crossroads. Failure to thrive is a possibility, but not for forward-thinking organizations with a commitment to employee recruitment, retention and reward.

Dropbox is one of the hottest venture-funded companies in the world today. With exploding customer demand, another substantial round of growth equity funding expected to be officially announced soon that fuels an approximate $10 billion dollar valuation and high expectations for a public offering in 2014, Houston lives these dynamics every day. Based on his ability to attract dozens of the best and brightest, he's widely respected for building a company that is establishing itself as a gravity well for talent. 

Pontin is among the industry's most respected and insightful editorial personalities. During the past two decades, while leading some of the most influential media outlets covering the innovation economy, he has observed and provided insightful commentary into some of its greatest successes and most profound missteps.

Houston and Pontin agree that there has never been a more critical issue -- at a more critical time -- than the war for talent. Join them as they dig into the dynamics involved, offering food for thought for the here-and-now as well as the road ahead.

Shape the discussion by submitting your questions to Houston and Pontin here prior to the event.

About Dropbox

Founded in 2007, Dropbox was launched in 2008 and is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere, and share them easily. Any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your phone or iPad, and the Dropbox website. Dropbox also makes it easy to share with others. And if your computer melts down, you can restore all your files from the Dropbox website with a couple clicks.

Dropbox has more than 200,000,000 users. People save 1 billion files to Dropbox every 24 hours. Deployed in more than 4 million businesses with presence in 97 percent of Fortune 500 companies, Dropbox is offered in 15 languages with users in 200+ countries. More than 100,000 active apps have been built on the Dropbox Platform. The company has raised $257 million from Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, Index Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Goldman Sachs, Greylock Partners, Institutional Venture Partners, RIT Capital Partners, and Valiant Capital Partners.

About MIT Technology Review

MIT Technology Review leads the global conversation about technologies that matter. An independent media company owned by MIT, it produces publications read by millions of business leaders, innovators, and thought leaders around the globe, in six languages and on a variety of platforms. The company publishes MIT Technology Review, the world′s most respected technology magazine; daily news features, analysis, and opinion; and Business Reports, which explain how technologies are transforming industries. It produces live events such as the annual EmTech MIT, international EmTech conferences, Summits, and Salons. The company's entrepreneurial community organization, MIT Enterprise Forum, hosts 400+ events a year around the world.

About The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge

The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge is the founding chapter and 1 of 27 worldwide chapters comprising the MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. Offering more than 40 programs and events annually that inspire innovation, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge initiatives facilitate critical one-on-one mentoring while providing team services that increase the skills and expertise necessary for entrepreneurs to succeed.

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