The document discusses how crowdsourcing and virtual workforces can help companies overcome challenges with traditional project teams. It argues that relying on a global community of independent contractors working competitively reduces the risks of delays or failure compared to using in-house teams with single points of failure. Examples are given of companies that have partnered with TopCoder to crowdsource software development, data analysis and other tasks by running them as online competitions.
About TopCoder TopCoder is the leader in online programming competition, skills assessment and competitive software development. Founded by Jack Hughes in 2001 with the purpose of objectively identifying the top computer software engineers, the TopCoder community has grown to more than 170,000 programmers and designers worldwide. TopCoder’s patented platform includes conducting software competitions while maintaining quality and reliable delivery. This platform has become one of the fastest and least expensive ways to build high-quality commercial grade software.