
Silicon Valley may be popular for innovation centers, but losing ground to Asia - muzz
http://venturebeat.com/2016/12/17/silicon-valley-may-be-popular-for-innovation-centers-but-its-losing-ground-to-asia/
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dpandey
If you interpret the title literally, it's probably true. It's not something
to worry too much about, however.

Just like the rest of the world starting large universities has rarely had a
negative effect on institutions like Oxford, Harvard or MIT, the rest of the
world starting innovation center is unlikely to do much negatively to Silicon
Valley.

Starting an 'innovation center' and actually creating lots of innovative
companies (including some really large ones) are not the same thing at all. In
fact, just like IITs are a great feeder into MIT or Stanford, some of the best
companies outside Silicon Valley have become a feeder for the SV ecosystem.

I'm not saying it can't happen. I'm just saying quantity is not the same as
quality, and quality innovation center is very hard to create without _lots
of_ quality people in all parts of the ecosystem.

~~~
devoply
Silicon Valley has two major things going for it. Talent and money. Asians are
intelligent and talented, if they were not they would not be pulling huge work
loads in American univerisities. At this point they have lots of capital too
as a result of the ascension of the economies in their respective countries.
Your comparison of so-called elite universities is a false dichotomy, those
work on different rules than technology. Technology does not recognize social
status and all that other stuff. Technology belongs to no one and can be
acquired by anyone with money and talent.

~~~
seanmcdirmid
Chinese have won plenty of Nobel prizes, just not when they were in china.

It just isn't about aptitude, or even capital, but society has to be developed
and free enough to let innovation happen. Where all the capital (human and
financial) has accumulated (China), this simply isn't the case. We will
continue to see young Chinese leaving for the west to realize their full
potentials.

~~~
homarp
>society has to be developed and free enough to let innovation happen.

see parallel discussion on "China invents the digital totalitarian state" \-
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13201926](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13201926)

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jimmywanger
What exactly is the definition of an innovation center, and why are there so
few of them in the world?

There are only 7 in the silicon valley? That seems... suspect. And only 2 in
Tokyo? This whole article puzzles me.

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saycheese
Counts in the report are for new "innovation centers" in 2016; sources and
methods for compiling the list are not provided.

~~~
jimmywanger
So I'm not attacking you, but this article, without the sources and methods is
basically useless?

It might as well read "Silicon Valley may well be a 7, but Asia is on its way
with a couple of 2s and 3s."

~~~
dpandey
Exactly. The article focuses on something marginal (number of large companies
starting an 'innovation center' aka a tiny office in Silicon Valley has come
down). The title is misleading because it makes you think it's talking about
Silicon Valley being left behind in innovation.

What it actually talks about is 'large companies are opening more satellite
offices around the world than in Silicon Valley in the last few years'.

The appropriate response to this article is: 'so what? How does that matter?'

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vtange
"The reason behind the abandonment of Silicon Valley, and even Europe, is due
to the supply of talent in Asia."

\- sounds like a fancy way of saying "outsourcing".

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sleepingeights
Silicon Valley has nothing on Asia. In China's Silicon Valley, if you have an
idea and comparatively far smaller bank roll, you can have a prototype of your
idea at your desk within a week.

Compare that to SV which is like a backwards feudal kingdom.

The examples of "innovation" spouted now in SV are software and service
frameworks, stuff like social networking and OS, and this stuff is backed by
open source work performed by people from all over the world. In the big
scheme of things today's Silicon Valley's so-called "innovation" is a big
loser.

edit: It makes sense that technologically capable countries pursue their own
technological infrastructure rather than have to depend on and pay US
corporations simply for the privilege.

All Silicon Valley really provided was to "innovate" the traditional American
business model and classism into their technological infrastructure.

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peter303
Just like the death of Moores Law. Over 50 years and counting.

