New Apple Developer Academy Will Boost ‘Silicon Bali’ For Digital Nomads

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Bali is one of the world’s leading digital nomad hubs.

With thousands of remote workers, entrepreneurs, and creatives heading to the island every year seeking the perfect work-life balance, Bali has been gifted a new nickname: Silicon Bali. 

It seems like Silicon Valley is moving ever closer to Silicon Bali, with Apple announcing that it will be opening a new Apple Developer Academy on the island.

The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, also visited Indonesia recently to discuss future relationships with leaders. 

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The Apple Academy Bali will be the fourth of its kind in Indonesia, with academies already established in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Batam. Apple has been operating Developer Academies in Indonesia since 2018, and they feel it is time to expand.

The program has seen huge success in training up young tech talent in Indonesia, with over 90% of all graduates going on to secure meaningful employment in the tech sector, but also in education, e-commerce, sustainability, and more. 

In a press statement, Cook explained, “We’ve seen many times over that a line of code can change the world — and in Indonesia, we’re investing in the creativity and skills of people determined to prove it.”

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He added, “We’re excited by the growing developer community in Indonesia, and we look forward to investing in the success of even more coders with our fourth academy in the country.”

The program is intensive, comprehensive, and is taught over a 9-month term. Students in the program so far have hailed from over 90 cities across the country and have a broad age demographic ranging from 18-50.

Each Developer Academy in Indonesia is able to support 400 graduates per year, and there is hope that Bali will also be able to support these many students. 

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Alumni from the Apple Developer Academy in Indonesia have gone on to have glowing careers and make a big difference in the world. Mary Santoso was part of the 2022 cohort of Indonesian academy developers.

Santoso has now founded WonderJack, an iPad game designed with neurodivergent users at heart, which focuses on creating a stress-free, tactile, and multi-sensory learning experience. 

During his visit to Jakarta to meet with President Joko Widodo and ministers, Cook revealed that the company’s ultimate goal would be to create an Apple factory in Indonesia. Cook explained, “We talked about the President’s desire to see manufacturing in this country, and that is something we will consider.”

He continued “I think investment capabilities in Indonesia are unlimited. I think there are many good places to invest, and we invest, we believe in this country.”

“I see all the key ingredients for a country that is doing well now and will do even better in the future. I think the future is very bright.”

Speaking at the press conference, Indonesian Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said, “The President also conveyed an idea so that apart from forming an Apple Development Academy, he could also create an innovation center in collaboration with top universities in Indonesia.”

Both Apple and the President’s plans have been given the thumbs up by the Acting Governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, though Cook did not personally visit Bali, Acting Governor Jaya was pleased that the project had been announced. 

He told reporters “Of course, first of all, we are grateful, we are happy to open in Bali, it’s good for increasing human resources. Let’s join together. What is clear is that we are grateful. Of course, the Balinese people are happy, and we are waiting for that. The formation of the Apple Developer Academy is good.”

While there is no Apple Store in Bali, it is possible to buy Apple products from a wide range of official suppliers. There are a number of Apple Authorised Service Providers, including eWorld on Jalan Tekuku Umar in Denpasar.