
Singapore Says It Needs Foreign Tech Talent and `Fun' Education - doppp
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-20/singapore-says-it-needs-foreign-tech-talent-and-fun-education
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thedailymail
I've been living in Asia for 24 years, working on R&D policy for the last 10,
and have seen lots of countries come up with schemes to attract foreign
talent, without coming up for ways to keep the talent in the country once the
fad for whatever-tech has ended. In Singapore, for example, there was a huge
push for biotech/biomed R&D focused on the A _STAR research complex. After a
few years though, the government 's interest diminished significantly (along
with funds) due to a combination of 1) the political demise of A_STAR's
champion in the bureaucracy (due in part to a feud with the daughter of Lee
Kuan Yew; 2) the successful luring of global biopharm companies to set up Asia
HQs in Singapore, which was viewed by some in the Sing govt as a 'Mission
Accomplished' moment; and 3) the dramatic financial success of the Marina Bay
Sands casino, which made a striking counterpoint to the vague, serendipity-
based rationale for investing in basic research with no business plan in
place.

Many countries want the cultural cachet and revenue potential that are
historically associated with big investments in basic science. But smaller
countries (meaning anything smaller than, say, Germany or S Korea) are going
to have a hard time justifying the massive spending without clear economic
outputs.

I think this applies equally to nascent tech sectors, like AI – maybe even
more so for big data-intensive fields like AI. What does being based in
Singapore have to offer an AI researcher compared to being in a major US or
PRC city? Granted, the SE Asia location with a good hub airport is nice, but
is there some advantage to your work from being geographically present in a
city-state of ~5 million people? The odds are that this proposition appeals
mainly to people who are 1) from the developing world, 2) who have a hard time
competing in the developed world (for whatever reason), or 3) very senior
scientists looking to pad their retirement income through highly paid advisory
work.

All this can be well and good for people who go in with the clear intent to
leave within 3–5 years. But some people find themselves wanting to stay, and
once the funds for their chosen field of endeavor dry up due to the short
attention spans associated with bureaucratic funding commitments, they may
find that the welcome has worn out uncomfortably quickly.

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djpr
Agreed. Singapore is at a very critical point in their history. They are at a
moment where they have to rethink and reinvent themselves to compete mid/long
term, but at the same time, locals are so weary of gov't spending and
foreigners. I love Singapore but it's a shame.

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justtopost
Singapore gets a lot of love here, but their laws are so bad, I can't see
myself ever seriously considering it. Hard to reconsile with all the other
burgening tech hubs around the world, even if SV holds no appeal.

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djpr
I'm curious what laws specifically or areas of law? Especially when compared
to Malaysia, Indonesia or other neighboring countries.

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Nasrudith
Well any country where you can be sentenced to death for the work of a
pickpocket putting less than an ounce of heroin in your luggage or a corrupt
official planting it for not giving bribes is what I would call a place to
never visit without diplomatic immunity to put it in polite terms. Not to
mention the caning.

~~~
djpr
I think you are a bit mistaken here. I have lived in Singapore, Malaysia, and
Indonesia for over 10 years:

1\. Drug laws are harsh in Southeast Asia, but Singapore is the only place you
don’t have to worry about bribery. It’s probably the only country in Southeast
Asia where you can’t bribe anyone.

It’s places like Bali where cops plant drugs on tourists or sell drugs to
tourists to arrest them later to get cash from them.

But if that really scares you, avoid Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia - it’s a
safer bet in Singapore.

2\. Canning isn’t a common occurance. I would be more afraid to be Black in
America than being canned in Singapore.

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ezoe
There are always exceptions. Besides, bribery isn't the only threat. If the
government agency decided that you must be removed from the society, they will
plant the evidence anyway.

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djpr
Again, I'm not sure what's the difference between Singapore and most of
Southeast Asia and say Latin America, if you are talking about challenging the
gov't brazenly.

Its only in Western Europe, Australia, and Canada where I would feel safe (as
a citizen only) to openly challenge the gov't. The rest sounds iffy.

If that's your criteria of countries you'd visit or live in - then I respect
that. But you'll be within only a tiny slice of humanity.

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scruffyherder
High on interest, low on content.

Why should I move to Singapore from Hong Kong? Do they help me setup my
business? Do I get tax breaks? Incentives to OJT workers? How about bringing
in foreign workers? Reduced office space? Non censored media?

Can't say I'm all that convinced, if anything I want to move to the mainland
so I can live in something bigger than a closet.

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rdlecler1
They’d need a lot of world class educations, low cost of living, and plenty of
risk capital. They may capture the first, but less for the rest.

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djpr
Agreed. If Singapore could somehow unite or federate with Johor, I think it
would be perfect. There would be the hyper-capitalist CBD, suburban
"Heartland" and the wilder (relatively speaking) Johor where people could
experiment.

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djpr
I see I'm being down-voted. That's okay, I'm just curious to know your
thoughts.

There has been plenty of discussions if Singapore needs a "hinterland" to
survive and if Johor can be that hinterland. I'm leaning yes on that camp, but
I'd like to hear counter points.

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rdm_blackhole
I have been in Singapore for a conference. The country is clean and safe as
far as I can tell. The only problem is that it is very small so unless you fly
out every weekend to the nearby countries, there is not much to do besides
shopping which I personally don't care about.

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djpr
The great thing about Singapore (and Kuala Lumpur) is that you can travel to
other countries easily and cheaply.

That said, Singapore has some of the best cocktail bars in the world (they can
keep up with New York & London), lively museum scene, incredible amount of
parks and outdoor areas, etc.

When I lived in Singapore, we BBQ'd in a different park by the water every
weekend and if we weren't eating, we were trekking around the different parks
and nature reserves.

Stay away from CBD - like most Singaporeans do - and you'll find lots to do.
That said, yes, its not as wild as Jakarta or Bangkok.

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tixocloud
Does anyone know any incubators or accelerators in Singapore?

