Software Companies vs Companies That Make Software

There's software companies, and there's companies that make software. These sound the same, but they are actually different.

Software companies:

• Value developers and put them first. For instance, they realize that developers require top-of-the-line computers and thus don't give them the standard-issue computers that everyone else in the company receives. This appreciation often stems from the fact that management and other higher-ups were once developers themselves.
• Recognize the uniqueness of software and don't try to blindly apply management techniques and processes transplanted from other industries. They may use ideas from other industries but adapt them to specifically work for software development.
• Realize that software development is a rapidly-changing industry and thus actively encourage and facilitate continuous learning.
• Have employees who willingly maintain up-to-date technical skills and awareness of industry trends. Even managers and others who don't write code every day still have relatively sharp technical skills.
• Fully leverage all available technologies and paradigms and aren't afraid of making changes when appropriate (when they know the change should lead to improvement), as opposed to sticking to a certain technology or process simply because that's what has been used in the past.
• Value and exploit innovation by creating environments that foster design thinking and creativity from all employees.

I think you're getting the gist here. Companies that make software treat the creation of software as they would any other product or service, but software companies tailor their decisions, culture, business processes, and everything else specifically to making software. I don't know about you, but I know what kind of company I want to work for.