the.world.is.flat-第29章
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with how we keep track of who owns which piece of any innovation in a flat world；
where some is generated for free and others build on it for profit。 Will Chinese
programmers really respect the rules of the Free Software Foundation？ Who will govern
all this？
〃Once you start to socialize the global population on the idea that software or any
other innovation is supposed to be free； a lot of people will not distinguish between
free software； free pharmaceuticals； free music； or free patents on car designs；〃
argued Mundie。 There is some truth to this。 I work for a newspaper； that is where
my paycheck comes from。 But I believe that all online newspapers should be free； and
on principle I refuse to pay for an online subscription to The Wall Street Journal。
I have not read the paper copy of The New York Times regularly for two years。 I read
it only online。 But what if my daughters' generation； which is being raised to think
that newspapers are something to be accessed online for free； grows up and refuses
to pay for the paper editions？ Hmmm。 I loved Amazon。com until it started providing
a global platform that wasn't selling only my new books but also used versions。 And
I am still not sure how I feel about Amazon offering sections of this book to be browsed
online for free Mundie noted that a major American auto company recently discovered
that some Chinese firms were using new digital…scanning technology to scan an entire
car and churn out computer…aided design models of every part within a very short period
of time。 They can then feed those designs to industrial robots and in short order
produce a perfect copy of a GM car…without having to spend any money on R & D。 American
automakers never thought they had anything to worry about from wholesale cloning of
their cars； but in the flat world； given the technologies that are out there； that
is no longer the case。
My bottom line is this： Open…source is an important flattener because it makes
available for free many tools； from software to encyclopedias； that millions of people
around the world would have had to buy in order to use； and because open…source network
associations…with their
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open borders and come…one…come…all approach…can challenge hierarchical structures
with a horizontal model of innovation that is clearly working in a growing number
of areas。 Apache and Linux have each helped to drive down costs of computing and
Internet usage in ways that are profoundly flattening。 This movement is not going
away。 Indeed； it may just be getting started…with a huge； growing appetite that could
apply to many industries。 As The Economist mused （June 10； 2004）； 〃some zealots even
argue that the open…source approach represents a new； post…capitalist model of
production。〃
That may prove true。 But if it does； then we have some huge global governance issues
to sort out over who owns what and how individuals and companies will profit from
their creations。
Flattener #5
Outsourcing
Y2K
India has had its ups and down since it achieved independence on August 15； 1947；
but in some ways it might be remembered as the luckiest country in the history of
the late twentieth century。
Until recently； India was what is known in the banking world as 〃the second buyer。〃
You always want to be the second buyer in business…the person who buys the hotel or
the golf course or the shopping mall after the first owner has gone bankrupt and its
assets are being sold by the bank at ten cents on the dollar。 Well； the first buyers
of all the cable laid by all those fiber…optic cable companies…which thought they
were going to get endlessly rich in an endlessly expanding digital universe…were their
American shareholders。 When the bubble burst； they were left holding either worthless
or much diminished stock。 The Indians； in effect； got to be the second buyers of the
fiber…optics companies。
They didn't actually purchase the shares； they just benefited from the
overcapacity in fiber optics； which meant that they and their American clients got
to use all that cable practically for free。 This was a huge stroke of luck for India
（and to a lesser degree for China； the former Soviet Union； and Eastern Europe）；
because what is the history of modern India？ In short； India is a country with
virtually no natural resources that got very good at doing one thing…mining the brains
of its own people by educating a relatively large slice of its elites in the sciences；
engineering； and medicine。 In 1951； to his enduring credit； Jawaharlal Nehru； India's
first prime minister； set up the first of India's seven Indian Institutes of
Technology （IIT） in the eastern city of Kharagpur。 In the fifty years since then；
hundreds of thousands of Indians have competed to gain entry and then graduate from
these IITs and their private…sector equivalents （as well as the six Indian Institutes
of Management； which teach business administration）。 Given India's 1 billion…plus
population； this competition produces a phenomenal knowledge meritocracy。 It's like
a factory； churning out and exporting some of the most gifted engineering； computer
science； and software talent on the globe。
This； alas； was one of the few things India did right。 Because its often dysfunctional
political system； coupled with Nehru's preference for pro…Soviet； Socialist
economics； ensured that up until the mid…1990s India could not provide good jobs for
most of those talented engineers。 So America got to be the second buyer of India's
brainpower！ If you were a smart； educated Indian； the only way you could fulfill your
potential was by leaving the country and； ideally； going to America； where some
twenty…five thousand graduates of India's top engineering schools have settled since
1953； greatly enriching America's knowledge pool thanks to their education； which
was subsidized by Indian taxpayers。
〃The IITs became islands of excellence by not allowing the general debasement of the
Indian system to lower their exactingstandards；〃 noted The Wall StreetJournal （April
16； 2003）。 〃You couldn't bribe your way to get into an IIT 。 。 。 Candidates are accepted
only if they pass a grueling entrance exam。 The government does not interfere with
the curriculum； and the workload is demanding。 。 。 Arguably； it is harder to get into
an IIT than into Harvard or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology。 。 。 IIT alumnus
Vinod Khosla； who co…founded Sun
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Microsystems； said： 'When I finished IIT Delhi and went to Carnegie Mellon for my
Masters； I thought I was cruising all the way because it was so easy relative to the
education I got at IIT。'〃
For most of their first fifty years； these IITs were one of the greatest bargains
America ever had。 It was as if someone installed a brain drain that filled up in New
Delhi and emptied in Palo Alto。
And then along came Netscape； the 1996 telecom deregulation； and Global Crossing and
its fiber…optic friends。 The world got flattened and that whole deal got turned on
its head。 〃India had no resources and no infrastructure；〃 said Dinakar Singh； one
of the most respected young hedge fund managers on Wall Street； whose parents
graduated from an IIT and then immigrated to America； where he was born。 〃It produced
people with quality and by quantity。 But many of them rotted on the docks of India
like vegetables。 Only a relative few could get on ships and get out。 Not anymore；
because we built this ocean crosser； called fiberoptic cable 。 。 。 For decades you
had to leave India to be a professional。 。 。 Now you can plug into the world from
India。 You don't have to go to Yale and go to work for Goldman Sachs ＇as I did。＇〃
India could never have afforded to pay for the bandwidth to connect brainy India with
high…tech America； so American shareholders paid for it。 Sure； overinvestment can
be good。 The overinvestment in railroads turned out to be a great boon for the American
economy。 〃But the railroad overinvestment was confined to your own country and so
too were the benefits；〃 said Singh。 In the case of the digital railroads； 〃it was
the foreigners who ben
