Once a commodity-reliant country, Indonesia is now shifting gears to explore the digital economy as many, including President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, see it as the future of the economy.

Appearing relaxed in a long-sleeve Batik shirt with First Lady Iriana in a simple pink hijab and red traditional Indonesian garb, Jokowi visited the headquarters of US technology giants Google, Facebook, Twitter and Plug and Play in Silicon Valley and downtown San Francisco on Wednesday local time to spread the message in the world center of technological innovation that Indonesia is serious about expanding into the digital economy.

From playing zero-gravity ping pong in virtual reality with Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg to writing on the office walls of Facebook and Plug and Play, Jokowi appeared to be having fun on his visit as well as showing his strong interest in the technology, innovation and digital sector.

“Start it up together, prosper together,” Jokowi wrote on Plug and Play’s office wall, on which his photo is displayed, in a clear sign of support for start-up companies to take on a larger role in the economy.

“I hope Plug and Play can take part in Indonesia’s vision to be Southeast Asia’s biggest digital economy, [one] that will reach US$130 billion by 2020,” he said during a meeting with Plug and Play CEO and founder Saeed Amidi at its Silicon Valley headquarters.

Plug and Play connects startups with corporations and invests in 100 companies every year, including Dropbox, with $3.5 billion in funds raised by its start-ups since 2006.

Along with the $130 billion target, Jokowi envisions the birth of 1,000 “technopreneurs” into Southeast Asia’s largest economy with a more than 250 million population sprawled across the archipelago.

His administration has allowed foreign e-commerce players valued at over Rp 100 billion to fully open businesses in Indonesia and teamed up with financial authorities to support funding for IT companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are the heart of the President’s digital economy vision.

At Googleplex in Mountain View, California — where Jokowi had Indonesian food for lunch with over a dozen Indonesian workers at the company — the President was greeted by CEO Sundar Pichai, whose company agreed to train 100,000 Indonesian mobile developers before 2020 through universities, online and working groups across the country.

Once a commodity-reliant country, Indonesia is now shifting gears to explore the digital economy as many, including President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, see it as the future of the economy.

Appearing relaxed in a long-sleeve Batik shirt with First Lady Iriana in a simple pink hijab and red traditional Indonesian garb, Jokowi visited the headquarters of US technology giants Google, Facebook, Twitter and Plug and Play in Silicon Valley and downtown San Francisco on Wednesday local time to spread the message in the world center of technological innovation that Indonesia is serious about expanding into the digital economy.

From playing zero-gravity ping pong in virtual reality with Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg to writing on the office walls of Facebook and Plug and Play, Jokowi appeared to be having fun on his visit as well as showing his strong interest in the technology, innovation and digital sector.

'€œStart it up together, prosper together,'€ Jokowi wrote on Plug and Play'€™s office wall, on which his photo is displayed, in a clear sign of support for start-up companies to take on a larger role in the economy.

'€œI hope Plug and Play can take part in Indonesia'€™s vision to be Southeast Asia'€™s biggest digital economy, [one] that will reach US$130 billion by 2020,'€ he said during a meeting with Plug and Play CEO and founder Saeed Amidi at its Silicon Valley headquarters.

Plug and Play connects startups with corporations and invests in 100 companies every year, including Dropbox, with $3.5 billion in funds raised by its start-ups since 2006.

Along with the $130 billion target, Jokowi envisions the birth of 1,000 '€œtechnopreneurs'€ into Southeast Asia'€™s largest economy with a more than 250 million population sprawled across the archipelago.

His administration has allowed foreign e-commerce players valued at over Rp 100 billion to fully open businesses in Indonesia and teamed up with financial authorities to support funding for IT companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are the heart of the President'€™s digital economy vision.

At Googleplex in Mountain View, California '€” where Jokowi had Indonesian food for lunch with over a dozen Indonesian workers at the company '€” the President was greeted by CEO Sundar Pichai, whose company agreed to train 100,000 Indonesian mobile developers before 2020 through universities, online and working groups across the country.