Silicon Valley Is Dead - a critique and why Ireland's current plans are doomed to failure
Silicon Valley Is Dead
This article explores the problematic relationship between technical innovation as a driver of economic success, and the question of depending on such innovation to rejuvenate job growth. As the article suggests, it doesn't work that way: much of the manufacturing that lies behind such innovation has long since vanished from the US, even hugely successful companies like Apple now only have 25,000 employees remaining in the entire US. Compare that to Siemens in Germany, which still employs 126,000 out of its total of 420,000 in the Fatherland. In comparison, Apple has only 34,000 employees in total - most of the manufacturing and supply chain management is entirely outsourced and offshored.
The initial few paragraphs discuss the trend whereby most industries in Silicon Valley have experienced about a 20% net drop in total employment over the last decade, although the average wage has rised. The writer points out that what is often forgotten is manufacturing, wh…
This article explores the problematic relationship between technical innovation as a driver of economic success, and the question of depending on such innovation to rejuvenate job growth. As the article suggests, it doesn't work that way: much of the manufacturing that lies behind such innovation has long since vanished from the US, even hugely successful companies like Apple now only have 25,000 employees remaining in the entire US. Compare that to Siemens in Germany, which still employs 126,000 out of its total of 420,000 in the Fatherland. In comparison, Apple has only 34,000 employees in total - most of the manufacturing and supply chain management is entirely outsourced and offshored.
The initial few paragraphs discuss the trend whereby most industries in Silicon Valley have experienced about a 20% net drop in total employment over the last decade, although the average wage has rised. The writer points out that what is often forgotten is manufacturing, wh…