Re: Adobe commits suicide
Absolutely, and no disrespect is intended. If anything, I think it would be disrespectful and disingenuous to treat my peers and colleagues in other countries as incapable of understanding the impact that mismanaged globalization has on an industry and the people who support it.Originally Posted by handrawn
interesting - I wonder if you USA guys ever stop to think about how you sound to those of us who live elsewhere?
Having been in software for 35 years, I've worked with, and continue to have colleagues in, places like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Ukraine, India, China and more. While it's great to suddenly find yourself in demand and in a position where a great wage in your locale appears "cheap" to consumers (big corporations) from countries like the US, human capital arbitrage has enormous repercussions. The lives of millions are impacted, for better or worse. Work flow and process, along with product quality, are enormously disrupted when executives make outsourcing decisions driven by their quarterly bonuses, which are typically based on short-term financial metrics which completely ignore larger impact 1, 2, 5 and 10 years out.
None of this is an attack or condemnation of workers and professionals in any part of the world. If anyone should tank the brunt of the criticism, it would be:
- the executives mentioned above, who look to cut the "labor" line in their cash flow statements without understanding or caring about the impact
- consumers who patronize companies that outsource their work to places that lack the most basic protections and benefits for the workers
- some of the greedy organizations in "elsewhere" that promote the maturity and quality of their products and processes disingenuously, such as the numerous software consulting groups that claim to be operating at CMMi level 5, when this is quite often far from the truth.
Despite the negative tone of the the words above, there are, indeed, good honest people in all of the roles related to some globalization efforts. I don't think anyone has stated or implied otherwise in this discussion. There is no intent to insult people from any country or culture. My frustration relates to the irresponsible push to globalize relentlessly, absent the truly needed time / effort / investment to make it work without compromising quality of product and service and without sacrificing an entire workforce.
I have colleagues and friends in many parts of the world, mostly due to my professional connections. The honest ones will be the first to admit the challenges involved in globalization, and the downside impact as well as the positive aspects.
One more thought - as I noted above, a lot of the problems in globalization are due to short-term thinking without regard for long-term impact and side-effects. The cost of software development in India is a great example. For about 30 years, the difference in human capital cost between the US and, for example, Bangalore, has been a huge impetus for many companies to find ways to globalize software development. Executives cut short-term costs, received enormous bonuses, and because the bottom line appeared good on paper, many stocks soared. At the same time, millions of US software workers found their career skills down-valued in a global market. Numerous highly talented and experienced workers can no longer earn what they were making 20 years ago, or even find a job at all. The interesting catch, which would be worthy of being in one of Aesop's fables, is this: the enormous demand from places like the US for cheaper labor from places like India is actually creating scarcity; following the classic concepts of supply and demand, the cost of software professionals from India is rising steadily - and in some places already matches the most expensive comparable labor in the US. So - after a few years of gluttony and profit on the part of some uncaring executives, we start to wind up with:
- IT labor costs that are coming back to what they were - or would have been had they remained local - in the US
- a vastly compromised US IT labor industry
- a dramatic loss of interest on the part of US students in the software industry
- a shortage of domestic talent in this absolutely critical field
In the end, this is analogous in some ways to the craze to convert apartment buildings to condos 15 or 20 years ago. The only people who benefitted, generally, were the brokers and investors. Long term effect: costs have skyrocketed, and housing is a larger percentage of income for many people than it would have been otherwise.
Sorry if my diatribe went a bit off-topic. I'll stop now, hoping I've clarified some of my earlier comments. Again - no intent whatsoever to denigrate or insult any particular country, people or culture. But all involved are naive and foolish to ignore the incredible impact that irresponsible outsourcing may have.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks