"We're Just Probability Machines" | Building Ethiopia's Outsourcing Empire | Samuel Mussie Artwork

MeliaCRED: Conversations with Elvis

Has the internet created a virtual labour market for new kinds of services? Does connectivity now allow job-seekers from the Global South, young people from low-income countries, to grow rich online? Did this help overcome the borders that have separated rich from poor? If not, might the Metaverse now create this new market space in the cloud? Are online labour platforms becoming immersive labour markets with equal access for all? I discuss these questions in conversations with online workers, policy makers, academics, educators, consultants, and firm executives from around the world.

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MeliaCRED: Conversations with Elvis

"We're Just Probability Machines" | Building Ethiopia's Outsourcing Empire | Samuel Mussie

July 09, 2025 • Elvis Melia • Episode 17

Elvis speaks with Samuel Mussie, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Mereb Technologies, about Ethiopia's rapid transformation into a software outsourcing destination and the double-edged impact of AI on junior developers. As the CTO at Mereb Technologies, Samuel is passionate about turning complex tech challenges into seamless, user-friendly solutions for global partners, leading a talented team that has grown from startup to a company with 40 employees, expanding rapidly to 60 people.

Topics covered:

Ethiopia's software boom: from zero to outsourcing hub in 5 years
The "surfboard vs swimming" dilemma: AI tools vs foundational coding skills
Why junior developers are losing jobs while the sector grows
Real-money gaming platforms and complex financial backends
Building Ethiopia's tech ecosystem through collaboration, not competition
The demographic advantage: average age of 18 in a digitising economy
From pen-and-paper businesses to super apps: Ethiopia's digitisation gap
Windsurf, Cursor, and the future of English as a programming language
Why "idea people" are winning in the AI era

Key insight: "These generative AI tools are causing a knowledge gap because junior developers are using them as their backbone, not as tools. If you can't explain how the thing you wrote works, it's going to be a problem when it's pushed to production."

About: Mereb Technologies is an IT outsourcing company based in Ethiopia dedicated to providing developer outsourcing services globally. The name "Mereb" is derived from the Amharic term for "web," symbolizing their commitment to utilizing local expertise to serve the global market Mereb Technologies provides comprehensive solutions in software outsourcing: from support in product development to general digital transformation, testing, and maintenance, while also hosting the popular "Mereb Podcast" in Amharic to network Ethiopia's emerging tech ecosystem.

Connect with Samuel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samu-el/
Mereb Technologies: https://mereb.tech/
Company LinkedIn: https://et.linkedin.com/company/mereb-technologies

About this podcast: MeliaCRED: Conversations with Elvis explores how AI and automation reshape work, education, and economic development, particularly in Africa. Conducted as part of research for "The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Global Business Services in Ghana and Rwanda" for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Invest for Jobs.

Video Production: MinabTech for MeliaCRED.

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