Are you a DevFirst or DevPlus company?
Tags: devrel, devfirst, devplus
Published: 2021-08-12 16:16:00

Knowing if your company is a Developer First or Developer Plus company offers context into how you set up your #devrel program.

Developer First companys' primary focus is to create and sell products specifically designed to be used by developers (a.k.a. Business to Developer, or B2D). Think Twilio, Stripe, MongoDB, Arduino, Unity, PerceptiLabs, etc.

Developer Plus companys' primary focus is to create and sell products for businesses (a.k.a Business to Business, or B2B) or consumers (a.k.a Business to Consumer, or B2C). These companies also make products or services available to developers which they believe will benefit or add to their strategy in some way. Benefits that might accrue from adding a B2D approach include opening new channels to market, extending into new use cases, contributing to an innovation strategy, or a new method to optimize or enhance existing products. Examples include Qualcomm, Apple, Ford, Santander, Microsoft, Salesforce, Amazon, and Google.

And as you attempt to establish and scale your program, understanding and being prepared for the differences will dictate how much time you must dedicate to internal matters of strategic alignment and stakeholder management vs. getting out there into the developer community and driving the adoption of your developer tool or product. This context also affects your ability to attract and retain top talent, and it affects your freedom to execute your ideas.

Perhaps not surprising, life is - generally speaking - significantly easier for a DevRel professional inside a Developer First company. After all, a Developer First company's sole purpose is to build tools for developers, therefore one would hope, there is little confusion about answers to simple questions like, “why are developers important?” Friction in Developer First companies tends to arise due to a lack of communication between departments or investors, disagreements on go-to-market tactics and metrics, or a lack of understanding of what good looks like, rather than a more fundamental existential crisis, questioning the need for a DevRel team at all.

In Developer Plus companies, always be aware that your activity is likely not viewed as core to the business because, by definition, it isn’t. Therefore, your job must include educating your stakeholders to ensure you have the air cover you need to flourish. Find ways to connect your efforts to the core goals and priorities of your department and the wider company. Connect the dots and make the case that a dollar spent on your program provides a better return than a dollar spent elsewhere in the business.

If you are working in a larger multi-national business you will have additional challenges to overcome. The company culture may not be ideally suited to nurture a DevRel effort. For DevRel to be successful there has to be openness, a willingness to share information, receive and act on feedback, within a supportive and collaborative environment, with an entrepreneurial and partnership mindset. 

Are you part of a Devfirst or Devplus company? Do you have any tips for our Devrel community?