One hears a great deal about disruption in Silicon Valley. Also in the tech space, and in fields where innovation is part of the business process. We hear it at Udacity, and are honored when the term is positively applied to our work. Being presented in the #12 spot on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list is a wonderful example of this.
Defiance is not so common a term, but in many ways, it’s an equal if not more apt descriptor for the kind of organization we want to be, and strive to stand for.
Defiant
adjective
1. characterized by defiance; boldly resistant or challenging
I think we identify with defiance because we’re here to support those who refuse to accept a status quo that prevents them from learning, aspiring, reaching, and achieving. We are here to help aspiring learners challenge a world that says you can’t build self-driving cars that could save lives, that you can’t create virtual worlds that could help treat PTSD and Autism, that you can’t develop artificial intelligence that could address climate change.
We identify with defiance because we’re here to challenge anyone or anything that says only those from a certain part of the world can access these new technologies, that only those from a certain income bracket can enter these amazing fields, that only those from a certain background can master these skills, that only a select few deserve these kinds of opportunities.
We identify with defiance because we’re here to say to the dreamers, the forward-thinkers, and the innovators, that you CAN learn, you CAN create, and you CAN succeed. If this is a bold challenge, if this is resistance, then we are indeed defiant, and more than that, we are here in support of the defiant.
What we really want is change. Because it should not be defiance to affirm the dreamers, the forward-thinkers, and the innovators. It should be the norm. But until it is, then we say to anyone and everyone who dares to imagine the future, that you have a home with Udacity.
The Jobs of Tomorrow Start Here
