Coding Dojo Identifies the Most In-Demand Programming Languages at Top US Unicorns

Research provides roadmap for developers interested in working at companies like WeWork, JUUL, Airbnb and SpaceX


BELLEVUE, Wash., July 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coding Dojo, a nationwide pioneer in the coding bootcamp space, today released research into the programming and software development technologies used at the top privately-held startups in the US valued at over $1 billion, otherwise known as “unicorn” companies. This research includes lists of the most common programming languages, frameworks and database technologies across all 25 unicorns and a breakdown of which companies are using which languages.

Coding Dojo’s research is meant to help experienced developers or new students determine the best programming languages and technologies to learn based on the companies they want to work for. The report also illuminates software development trends among some of the hottest technology companies in America.

“We’re always staying on the pulse of the software development industry so that we can better prepare our students for the rapidly-changing technology job market,” said Richard Wang, CEO at Coding Dojo. “This analysis has turned up some interesting results, like the popularity of Kotlin and Go, but more importantly it gives developers a roadmap for what skills and languages they need to learn to get hired at their dream company. Whether you choose to attend one of our ten campuses around the country or online, Coding Dojo can prepare you to get a job at some of the most innovative companies in the world.”

Languages and Developer Technologies Used at the Top 10 US Unicorns:

RankCompany NameProgramming Languages UsedFrameworks UsedDatabases Used
1WeWorkJavaScript, Ruby, PythonNodeJS, ReactJS, Foundation, Flask 
2JUUL LabsJava, C, C++, Python, Go  
3AirbnbJava, Ruby, Python, JavaScript, PHPReactJS, Flask, HadoopMySQL, Redis, RDS
4SpaceXPython, JavaScript, Java, C++, C, PHP, Ruby MySQL, PostgreSQL
5StripePython, JavaScript, Ruby PostgreSQL
6PalantirPython, JavaScript, Ruby, Go, Java, C++Flask, DjangoMySQL
7Epic GamesGo, Java, Python, Perl, Shell MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL
8SamumedC#, JavaScriptAngularJS, EntitySQL
9CoinbaseGo, Ruby, JavaScript, Swift, Objective-C, Kotlin, Java, C, C++, RustReactJS, NodeJSPostgreSQL
10WishPHP, Python, Golang, Ruby, Java, C, C++, Go, PerlReactJS, HadoopMySQL, MongoDB, Redis

Key Findings:

  • Kotlin was surprising popular, used at eight of the 25 unicorns. Kotlin is not common overall; it has not appeared in any past Coding Dojo analysis of top programming languages and is #40 in TIOBE Index’s ranking of top programming languages overall.
    ◦ Kotlin is a streamlined alternative to Java used mainly for Android development (Google added support for Kotlin on Android in 2017, the third supported language after C++ and Java). Future Android developers interested in working in the startup space would do well to learn it.
  • Go was also more popular among unicorns than among technology companies in general, used at 11 unicorns but only #15 in the TIOBE Index.
    ◦ Go (also called Golang) was developed by Google employees in 2009 and is used in Docker, Kubernetes and Ethereum. It has been growing steadily in popularity in the last few years.
  • Overall the most used language was Python, used at 80% of the top unicorns.
  • The most used framework was ReactJS, used at 36% of top unicorns and the most used databases were MySQL and Redis, tied at 36% each.
  • The unicorns using the most programming languages were Coinbase and DoorDash at 10 each.
  • Most unicorns used between three and six languages, showing that well-rounded developers will be in higher demand than specialists.
  • 18 of the top 25 unicorns were based in California, one in Massachusetts (Intarcia), three in New York (WeWork, Compass and Peloton), one in Illinois (Outcome Health), one in Florida (Magic Leap) and one in North Carolina (Epic Games).

“While most of these programming languages and technologies will be familiar to any working developer, individuals looking to work at these unicorn companies would do well to learn them,” said Coding Dojo Director of West Coast Campus Operations Donovan An. “At Coding Dojo we revise our curriculum regularly to ensure we’re teaching students the most in-demand technologies in the market today, and this research will absolutely factor into those decisions.”

Top Programming Languages Overall
The most common programming languages across the top 25 unicorn companies are:

  1. Python: Used by 20 unicorns
  2. Java: Used by 19 unicorns
  3. JavaScript: Used by 16 unicorns
  4. Ruby: Used by 12 unicorns
  5. Go: Used by 11 unicorns
  6. C++: Used by 8 unicorns
  7. Kotlin: Used by 8 unicorns
  8. C: Used by 7 unicorns
  9. PHP: Used by 7 unicorns
  10. Object C: Used by 7 unicorns

Methodology
Data for this report was drawn from Indeed.com, CB Insights, PitchBook and Stackshare. This research examined the top 25 unicorn companies in the USA, which had valuations from $4.0 billion to $47 billion.

Coding Dojo’s full research including all 25 unicorns, findings on the top databases and framework technologies, and infographics illustrating the data, is available at https://www.codingdojo.com/blog/unicorn-languages-report.

About Coding Dojo
Coding Dojo is one of the highest rated coding bootcamps in the industry, and the only coding bootcamp in the world to teach three full technology stacks in a single 14-week program. Since 2012, Coding Dojo has helped individuals from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels transform into professional developers who go on to be hired by start-ups and world-class companies like Expedia, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, DocuSign and Skytap. Coding Dojo has campuses in nine US cities, as well as full-time and part-time online programs. Go to www.codingdojo.com to learn more.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5d020743-2bc8-413e-a0cb-794f5e1f90bb

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2aaf0b7-89e3-48e9-a693-138064f8b1ea


            
Chart 1 Programing Languages Table

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