Jon Ferm.
Globalization leader, now consulting.
Ten-plus years driving international expansion through strategic localization programs — at Square, Pinterest, Apple, Google, and Netflix. Now applying that experience independently to teams building the next wave of AI-era software.
My practice rests on a stubborn belief: localization is a product discipline, not a back-office cost center. When it's done well, users in São Paulo and Stockholm feel the same care — and the business sees it on the revenue line.
At Square, I led the globalization program supporting a $95B international GPV target, built the Atlas centralized translation service, and architected AI-powered quality frameworks that hit a 97% automation rate without sacrificing linguistic standards. Before that: Pinterest's international site program, Apple Music's Swedish launch, Google Play's Nordic QC team, and Netflix's Scandinavian rollout.
Agents and LLMs have rewritten the economics of l10n. The new questions are about evaluation, trust, and where humans add irreplaceable judgment. That's where most of my work lives now — with a small number of clients at a time.
- 2026 — nowFerm Forward Consulting · independent l10n consulting
- 2019 — 2026Square / Block, Inc. · Lead Localization Program Manager (Square, Cash App, Tidal, Afterpay)
- 2017 — 2019Pinterest · Localization Project Manager · international sites, MT pilots
- 2015 — 2017Apple (via Welocalize) · Swedish LQA · Apple Music, iTunes, iBooks, App Store
- 2014 — 2015Google (via Vaco) · QC Specialist & Nordic Team Lead · Play Movies & TV
- 2012 — 2013Netflix · Social Media Channel Manager (Nordics) & QC Specialist
- —97% l10n automation rate at Square
- —74.6% TM reuse, vendor dependency under 3%
- —98%+ DQF quality across 15+ markets
- —Atlas: centralized translation service, GitHub-native
- —MQM quality frameworks across 10+ locales
- —"Global by Default" program strategy