Business
Still waiting for tech to transform 3rd world
Cisco, Intel CEOs pitch technology as the driver of social change in developing world. Or driver of their growth, anyway.
So, Cisco CEO John Chambers says that countries are like companies, according to this News.com report:
"Emerging countries are like companies," he said at CES. "And they can follow the same path toward success. You must be able to execute. But you can't have speed without vision. And catching market transitions determines whether a company or a country is successful."
So, just give them start-up funding, then flood them in VC money, take control of their boards and ready them for an acquisition by Cisco? Not exactly, but there are some things the business world can do to help the developing world. Very few of them depend on handing out laptops.
Meanwhile, Intel's Craig Barrett was hawking the Small Things Challenge, wherein Intel gives $300,000 – five cents at a time – to Kiva.org and Save the Children.
Barrett is promoting the Classmate PC as the technology to improve poor children's lives, now that OLPC is officially dead.
"You travel and see the impact that technology and your donations can have on children's lives," he said. "Whether it's Kiva or Save the Children, it's a small step toward making the world a better place. But each and every one of us can play a role."