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INTUIT SUMMIT VS XERO ELEVATE Featured

competition artWith Intuit hosting a conference of influencers in Mountain View, Calif., and Xero holding its first conference in San Francisco, things got a bit testy on Twitter. We were calling it the Twitter Wars. But one theme struck me as I hit both gatherings. At the Intuit Summit event, one question on the second day was about attracting and keeping talent and having aging firms and events.

At Xero, it was clear that there was a much younger crowd. At both, there was discussion on the changing role of accountants. But the viewing platform was different. In a way, software businesses, probably all businesses are like restaurants and bars – if old people are numerous, the kids go somewhere else. The fact is that older people stick with older software and younger people go with the new products where there is more potential for growth (and for failure). It's like big companies trying to go downstream or companies with established on-premise accounting software attempting to enter the cloud. Making the switch is tough and it's very difficult to do both well. I remember joking at a conference of the Information Technology Alliance that if the aging trend continued among members, events in five years would be held at the Phoenix Golf Resort and Assisted Living Center. I suppose the easy way to pick up a younger crowd is to buy a company, the way Intuit did with Mint. Culture changes with age. Some old dogs learn new tricks. Many don't.

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