TopCoder to Present SXSW Interactive Sessions on Hyperspecialization and Open Innovation

GLASTONBURY, Conn., Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TopCoder®, Inc., the world's largest competitive Community of digital creators, today announced that company executives will be presenting two highly anticipated sessions at the 2012 SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, TX.

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On Sunday, March 11 at 11:00 am at the Courtyard Marriott, TopCoder President Rob Hughes and independent Creative Director Christina Hamlin will present "Welcome to the Age of Hyperspecialization," an examination of how the practice of Hyperspecialization is becoming inevitable and clearly not just for peripheral work. Atomization is the trend of the future, with many workers doing pieces of what is today a single job. This transformation of how workers are tasked may be inevitable given the quality, speed and cost advantages it offers - and the power it gives individuals to devote flexible hours to tasks of their choice.

Just like craft workers of the past, knowledge workers, or Hyperspecialists, will engage in peripheral activities that could be done better or more cheaply by others. But unlike the past, Hyperspecialization is driven by the worker and the desire to focus on the one or two things an individual does well and finding a digital market for it with the help of the internet. Hughes and Hamlin will explore directed innovation through hyperspecialization in a Core Conversation format.

Featuring Open Innovation market leaders Jack Hughes of TopCoder, Inc., and Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO at InnoCentive, the panel "Open Innovation: Millions of Us Solving Problems" will discuss how open innovation and crowdsourcing can transform a business, either through a breakthrough 'eureka' idea or continuous and incremental improvement of a product or service. Moderated by Jacob Ward of Popular Science, the conversation will uncover the key issues businesses need to address when incorporating open innovation communities into their business plans, and how professional problem-solving communities will evolve in the coming years. "Open Innovation: Millions of Us Solving Problems" will take place on Monday, March 12 at 5:00 pm at the Hilton Austin Downtown. Follow the session on Twitter at #SXSWOpenInno

About SXSW Interactive

The 19th annual SXSW Interactive Festival will take place March 9-13, 2012 in Austin, Texas. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the event features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology. Join us March 2012 for the panels, the parties, the 15th Annual Interactive Awards, Startup Village, ScreenBurn at SXSW, the SXSW Trade Show and, of course, the inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver. SXSW Interactive 2012 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Chevrolet, IFC, Pepsi, PepsiMax, Monster Energy, Samsung and The Austin Chronicle. For more information, visit www.sxsw.com/interactive.

About TopCoder, Inc.

TopCoder is the world's largest competitive community of digital creators with nearly 400,000 members representing algorithmists, software developers and creative artists from over 200 countries. The TopCoder Community creates digital assets including analytics, software and creative designs and solutions for a wide-ranging client base through a competitive, rigorous, standards based methodology. Combined with our extremely talented community this groundbreaking methodology results in superior outcomes for our clients. For more information about sponsoring TopCoder events and utilizing TopCoder's software services and platforms, visit www.topcoder.com.

TopCoder is a registered trademark of TopCoder, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT:
Jim McKeown
TopCoder, Inc.
860.633.5540
[email protected]

SOURCE TopCoder, Inc.