Comments on: The State of Innovation in India – ReadWriteWeb | STC India’s Salary Surveys | Adobe’s India Investment http://charlesjeter.com/2008/01/02/the-state-of-innovation-in-india-readwriteweb-adobes-india-investment/ Web 2.0 Integration in Southern California Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:46:49 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Technical Writing Careers — Answering 13 Questions about Technical Writing Jobs | I'd Rather Be Writing http://charlesjeter.com/2008/01/02/the-state-of-innovation-in-india-readwriteweb-adobes-india-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-148 Technical Writing Careers — Answering 13 Questions about Technical Writing Jobs | I'd Rather Be Writing Sun, 17 Feb 2008 05:50:34 +0000 http://charlesjeter.com/2008/01/02/the-state-of-innovation-in-india-readwriteweb-adobes-india-investment/#comment-148 [...] like India. I don’t have much experience with outsourced projects, but Charles Jeter wrote an interesting post on the state of innovation in India. I personally have never lost a job to outsourcing. In part it’s because I wear more hats [...] [...] like India. I don’t have much experience with outsourced projects, but Charles Jeter wrote an interesting post on the state of innovation in India. I personally have never lost a job to outsourcing. In part it’s because I wear more hats [...]

]]> By: Charles http://charlesjeter.com/2008/01/02/the-state-of-innovation-in-india-readwriteweb-adobes-india-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-121 Charles Sun, 06 Jan 2008 01:41:39 +0000 http://charlesjeter.com/2008/01/02/the-state-of-innovation-in-india-readwriteweb-adobes-india-investment/#comment-121 Thanks Tom, I found the source for that 90% piracy rate for Adobe software: Adobe: 90 percent of Adobe’s products being used in India are pirated copies. The piracy rate for Adobe software has been hovering around that number for several years now. Attributed to Sandeep Mehrotra, channel account manager, Adobe Systems. from http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20020909/indtrend1.shtml What's concerning me about the piracy aspect is that it gives Indian development teams a considerably unfair advantage in competing with the global market. Nobody wants to change this - Here's why: India itself is incentivized by the volume of hard currency flooding in from the outsourcing tech boom. Adobe has, because of the rampant piracy within India, a built in talent market which peer-educates with pirated software and can then compete with hard job experience in those pirated tools for the development jobs provided by Adobe. They don't have to spend the training dollars although they do provide quite a bit in that area, the starting base jobs are with pirated software. The Indian workers have to eat, and the Indian business owners reap colossal returns with very little risk of legal action. They have a lifestyle, that according to my figures in this article for Indian Technical Communicators, has a wage rising at 30% per year. Now... let's look at risk and liability for a minute. If we use the same law model that the HP president got hit with last year regarding her responsibility for an independant contractor's illegal activity, then companies who use outsourced labor which uses pirated software would themselves also become legally liable. That's a shocking idea, isn't it? I imagine if Microsoft or any other committed stateside software developer were to start suing the pants off of the companies who outsource to piracy-ridden companies, then there would be a tremendous shift back stateside. Exactly like what happened this past Christmas with children's toys made in China having lead paint. Consumers react strongly to criminal enterprise. One action item I would take if I were in charge of studying the outsourcing equation would be in examining or watermarking the work that was provided as Authentic XXYYZZ tool. I don't know if this is possible, but if I were testifying in front of Congress, I would make it mandatory for outsourced data development. It's nearly impossible to do so however, and cumbersome at best. But it would provide a framework for fair trade. Right now we're in a knowledge deficit, and it's getting worse. We have innovation due to our fair trade framework within the United States, which rewards risk. Take that reward away and as the risks get worse, you have the same situation in India. Why risk a safe comfortable job to find the next Google? Thanks Tom,

I found the source for that 90% piracy rate for Adobe software:

Adobe: 90 percent of Adobe’s products being used in India are pirated copies. The piracy rate for Adobe software has been hovering around that number for several years now.
Attributed to Sandeep Mehrotra, channel account manager, Adobe Systems.
from
http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20020909/indtrend1.shtml

What’s concerning me about the piracy aspect is that it gives Indian development teams a considerably unfair advantage in competing with the global market.

Nobody wants to change this – Here’s why:

India itself is incentivized by the volume of hard currency flooding in from the outsourcing tech boom.

Adobe has, because of the rampant piracy within India, a built in talent market which peer-educates with pirated software and can then compete with hard job experience in those pirated tools for the development jobs provided by Adobe. They don’t have to spend the training dollars although they do provide quite a bit in that area, the starting base jobs are with pirated software.

The Indian workers have to eat, and the Indian business owners reap colossal returns with very little risk of legal action. They have a lifestyle, that according to my figures in this article for Indian Technical Communicators, has a wage rising at 30% per year.

Now… let’s look at risk and liability for a minute. If we use the same law model that the HP president got hit with last year regarding her responsibility for an independant contractor’s illegal activity, then companies who use outsourced labor which uses pirated software would themselves also become legally liable.

That’s a shocking idea, isn’t it? I imagine if Microsoft or any other committed stateside software developer were to start suing the pants off of the companies who outsource to piracy-ridden companies, then there would be a tremendous shift back stateside.

Exactly like what happened this past Christmas with children’s toys made in China having lead paint. Consumers react strongly to criminal enterprise.

One action item I would take if I were in charge of studying the outsourcing equation would be in examining or watermarking the work that was provided as Authentic XXYYZZ tool. I don’t know if this is possible, but if I were testifying in front of Congress, I would make it mandatory for outsourced data development. It’s nearly impossible to do so however, and cumbersome at best.

But it would provide a framework for fair trade. Right now we’re in a knowledge deficit, and it’s getting worse. We have innovation due to our fair trade framework within the United States, which rewards risk. Take that reward away and as the risks get worse, you have the same situation in India. Why risk a safe comfortable job to find the next Google?

]]> By: Tom Johnson http://charlesjeter.com/2008/01/02/the-state-of-innovation-in-india-readwriteweb-adobes-india-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-120 Tom Johnson Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:28:49 +0000 http://charlesjeter.com/2008/01/02/the-state-of-innovation-in-india-readwriteweb-adobes-india-investment/#comment-120 Charles, you really have been doing a lot of research on this topic. I was most intrigued by the speculations of how groupthink culture can discourage innovation. It seems like you've worked with a lot of different cultures. It's great to read your explosive thoughts. Charles, you really have been doing a lot of research on this topic. I was most intrigued by the speculations of how groupthink culture can discourage innovation. It seems like you’ve worked with a lot of different cultures. It’s great to read your explosive thoughts.

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