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you,' and it's done overnight." Now, he says, scouts are far less shy about seemingly impossible
technological requests.
Yu has said that in the future, it's possible the team could open source its football technology, allowing
fans to come up with applications for coaches and scouts with numbers provided by the team. While
that's a staple in the technology industry, Yu admits that "probably won't be version 1.0," mostly due to
the fact that it would be massive philosophy shift in a league that prides itself on keeping everything inhouse.
Most of the team's fan experience ideas involve smartphones. York looks forward to the ability to mobilize
fans and increase crowd noise through apps or text messages. Yu said the plan is for the new stadium to
feature the option to use your smart phone to order food or merchandise, which would then be delivered
to your seat.
Employees say the tech mindset has generally taken over in the team's Santa Clara facility. Paraag
Marathe, the team's chief operating officer, wants to knock walls down in the team's facility to mirror the
creative environment of tech offices.
Yu said anywhere he goes—even a child's soccer game—he'll be pitched ideas from tech leaders on
what the Niners should try next. Ideas, he said, that stretch from accelerometers on helmets to measure
the physics of the game to mobile payment plans.
The team's new stadium is slated to open in the fall of 2014. In a couple of months, a video application
cold be ready for fans to test, but the bulk of the innovations will be unveiled when the stadium opens.
"There's something much more tangible about working for a football team than working for a cloud
product," said new team CFO Cipora Herman, a former Facebook vice president.
"I do think that the 49ers are developing a reputation in the Valley as a place that's open to innovation
and oh, by the way, it's really cool because it's a football team."