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December 22, 2006
Chinese leadership in IT
I came across the following quote in "Globalist" -- China's Real Three Challenges to the United States:
It is now almost certain that the next phase of this information revolution will be led by Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. This means that they, not Americans, will own and control the intellectual property and “killer apps” that power it and its evolving technology. We will be paying royalties as we try to catch up with them.
The author, Chas Freeman, is a well respected diplomat and knowable about China. His observation runs counter to the prevailing notion that the US is the font of all creativity. Or at least that India, not China, is the rising IT power.
I'm not sure that the future is a dire as what Freeman points to in this quote. But I certainly would echo the underlying thought. There is no reason to believe that the US can live off of current and future royalties alone. As Andy Grove has said, only the paranoid survive. Unless we continue to promote creativity and innovation in this country . . . [but you have heard that speech before]
Just add this to one more dimension of the problem: what happens when our current surplus in royalty income flattens out or turns down?
Posted by Ken Jarboe at December 22, 2006 8:57 AM
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