The tech community has done very well with cross-border ideas and commerce but we need to be vigilant as politicians and bigots threaten to pollute our global community. I posted this on the AlawysOn network and have cut and pasted it below.
http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=10619_0_5_0_C
"Imagine there's no countries...."
Lennon’s words (even with bad grammar) inspired me to become a “global citizen”. Through my tech career I have been to 40 countries. Most of us in the tech world are similarly “global” – we use Nokia and Samsung phones, Microsoft and SAP software, chips from Malaysia and Taiwan, developers from Israel and India. Last year, AlwaysOn’s Innovation Summit was seen live in more than 70 countries.
I am reading the fascinating book, “The world is flat” by the NY Times journalist Tom Friedman. He suggests that in the last few years, technology globalization has been far more impactful on the world than the events of 9/11 and the mess in the Middle East. We in Silicon Valley, Walldorf, Dailin and our CIOs in Omaha, Rio and Sydney and other places around the world are the technology “flatteners”. Oh, we compete with each other and I help buyers get better deals from tech vendors – and many do not like me for that. But we are all part of a technology community which benefits from cross-border exchange of the best and brightest individuals, ideas and investments. We have got it keep it that way because politicians and bigots everywhere are increasingly trying to mess with our industry.
Take China. David Scott Lewis’ AO blog on China is a fascinating and scary one on the direction politicians in China and the West could swing that country. The Chinese politicians appear stubborn about everything - textile trade, currency revaluation in spite of large trade surpluses. Everything to them is a matter of “national sovereignty”. Western politicians, though, know exactly how to rub them the wrong way. Rumsfeld made sharp comments yesterday about the Chinese military. That’s a great way to sway them! The tech world needs China’s manufacturing efficiencies and highly driven labor force - let’s ignore the politicians and keep talking to Chinese tech executives and entrepreneurs.
Take India. The Indian government this week sought WTO (World Trade Organization) help to prevent bans being proposed on outsourcing in various Western legislative bodies. I am not sure a US Congressman could tell you the difference between an MSA and an SLA but it does not stop him from meddling with corporate outsourcing decisions. But how credible does it sound when the Indian government itself is being protectionist in other discussions with the WTO about opening up its own markets to foreign competition?
Take Lou Dobbs on CNN. He was right to bring attention to growing offshoring 2 years ago - but he keeps going and going. On his portion of the CNN website he has a long list of companies “exporting US jobs” as he calls it. But most of those companies also show up as the strongest in BusinessWeek’s annual list of 100 global brands- Coca Cola, Microsoft, Gillette, Ford, GE and a bunch of other US companies. They get to be strong global brands by exporting US products. If you are a CIO at one of these companies you should be allowed to make technology sourcing decisions in line with the fact that 30, 50, 70% of your revenues come from outside the US – and not be embarrassed on national TV for doing so.
Take racial tensions. Most technology companies are multi-cultural. Yet it is shocking how much we are letting our customers racially taunt and abuse our call center folks around the globe. There is no excuse – they can check their accounts or complain on –line or ask to speak to a supervisor. We should be protecting the “smallest” people in our industry, not just adoring the ones who make it big.
Reagan had this to say about Washington and its approach to various industry sectors. If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If its stops moving, subsidize it. He could have been referring to the “logic” politicians use anywhere in the world. Whether you are in Bangalore, Espoo, or New York let’s keep ALL our politicians and narrow minded folks from screwing up our industry. We need the technology world to stay “flat” – keep dreaming like Lennon.
"The world is flat"
The tech community has done very well with cross-border ideas and commerce but we need to be vigilant as politicians and bigots threaten to pollute our global community. I posted this on the AlawysOn network and have cut and pasted it below.
http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=10619_0_5_0_C
"Imagine there's no countries...."
Lennon’s words (even with bad grammar) inspired me to become a “global citizen”. Through my tech career I have been to 40 countries. Most of us in the tech world are similarly “global” – we use Nokia and Samsung phones, Microsoft and SAP software, chips from Malaysia and Taiwan, developers from Israel and India. Last year, AlwaysOn’s Innovation Summit was seen live in more than 70 countries.
I am reading the fascinating book, “The world is flat” by the NY Times journalist Tom Friedman. He suggests that in the last few years, technology globalization has been far more impactful on the world than the events of 9/11 and the mess in the Middle East. We in Silicon Valley, Walldorf, Dailin and our CIOs in Omaha, Rio and Sydney and other places around the world are the technology “flatteners”. Oh, we compete with each other and I help buyers get better deals from tech vendors – and many do not like me for that. But we are all part of a technology community which benefits from cross-border exchange of the best and brightest individuals, ideas and investments. We have got it keep it that way because politicians and bigots everywhere are increasingly trying to mess with our industry.
Take China. David Scott Lewis’ AO blog on China is a fascinating and scary one on the direction politicians in China and the West could swing that country. The Chinese politicians appear stubborn about everything - textile trade, currency revaluation in spite of large trade surpluses. Everything to them is a matter of “national sovereignty”. Western politicians, though, know exactly how to rub them the wrong way. Rumsfeld made sharp comments yesterday about the Chinese military. That’s a great way to sway them! The tech world needs China’s manufacturing efficiencies and highly driven labor force - let’s ignore the politicians and keep talking to Chinese tech executives and entrepreneurs.
Take India. The Indian government this week sought WTO (World Trade Organization) help to prevent bans being proposed on outsourcing in various Western legislative bodies. I am not sure a US Congressman could tell you the difference between an MSA and an SLA but it does not stop him from meddling with corporate outsourcing decisions. But how credible does it sound when the Indian government itself is being protectionist in other discussions with the WTO about opening up its own markets to foreign competition?
Take Lou Dobbs on CNN. He was right to bring attention to growing offshoring 2 years ago - but he keeps going and going. On his portion of the CNN website he has a long list of companies “exporting US jobs” as he calls it. But most of those companies also show up as the strongest in BusinessWeek’s annual list of 100 global brands- Coca Cola, Microsoft, Gillette, Ford, GE and a bunch of other US companies. They get to be strong global brands by exporting US products. If you are a CIO at one of these companies you should be allowed to make technology sourcing decisions in line with the fact that 30, 50, 70% of your revenues come from outside the US – and not be embarrassed on national TV for doing so.
Take racial tensions. Most technology companies are multi-cultural. Yet it is shocking how much we are letting our customers racially taunt and abuse our call center folks around the globe. There is no excuse – they can check their accounts or complain on –line or ask to speak to a supervisor. We should be protecting the “smallest” people in our industry, not just adoring the ones who make it big.
Reagan had this to say about Washington and its approach to various industry sectors. If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If its stops moving, subsidize it. He could have been referring to the “logic” politicians use anywhere in the world. Whether you are in Bangalore, Espoo, or New York let’s keep ALL our politicians and narrow minded folks from screwing up our industry. We need the technology world to stay “flat” – keep dreaming like Lennon.
June 05, 2005 in Globalization and Technology, Industry Commentary, Offshoring Negotiations/Best Practices | Permalink