Economy

Microsoft In America, What Is The Perception?

December 8, 2005 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

Bill Gates is in India where he is discussing the advancements of technology and commerce for the global economy. However, his recent speeches have angered many Indians as well as Americans. Many Indian professionals feel Gates is only concerned with knocking out his Linux competition in India and that he has no unique concern for the Indian people. Americans feel Bill Gates is talking to them out of both sides of his mouth because of their perceived lack of support by Microsoft for job creation in America. Is Bill Gates getting a fair shake from either side?

Bill Gates recently addressed a gathering at Howard University; this was the last of six campuses Gates visited. Gates spoke to students in an attempt to inspire the students to pursue careers in software development. During many of the speeches Bill Gates appeared on a stage after a few minutes of heart accelerating rock music and video displays, Gates outlaid what he believes is a very prosperous future for I.T. professionals. However, many of these students say that all of the outsourcing of American technical jobs has caused them to become very disenfranchised with the whole I.T. field. Many of the students begrudged Gates speech because they say he has become a major outsourcer himself.

During Bill Gates most recent trip to India, the Microsoft Corporation Chairman stated that he plans to invest $1.7 billion into developing projects in India; he intends to add around 3,000 jobs in the country over the next three to four years. However, there was no mention of job creation in the United States.

Many Indians feel that Microsoft is very concerned with its market share in India, a recent survey of Indian companies by Network Magazine was released in June stated that it found that nearly 40 percent of Indian companies utilize Linux to run their servers. The magazine reportedly polled 340 companies, and offered no margin of error.

Many Indian businessmen feel that Bill Gates is investing in India solely as a way to buy out his competition. Rasnar Garg stated that, “Mr. Gates has learned what many American businesses have not, the simple rule that if they build it and work on it they will buy it. Many Indians feel that Microsoft is investing for the sole purpose of gaining a stranglehold on its operating system computers.”

Many Americans are upset because Bill Gates recently traveled throughout America giving speeches on technology and openly stating that he feels more young professionals in America should go into the computer related fields because of the potential job offerings there will be. These Americans hear stories about overseas investing and they become very much disenfranchised with the whole situation. Many I.T. professionals in the United States say they are unemployed because technical entrepreneurs like Bill Gates are outsourcing their work to cheap labor countries.

It is widely known that Microsoft has long viewed India as a potentially enormous market, and this is Bill Gates’ fourth visit in a very short time span. Microsoft has found stiff competition in India because many Indian companies are progressively looking toward open source operating systems, predominantly Linux, as an economical alternative to Windows. Javed Tapia, the head of Linux vendor Red Hat Incorporated’s India operations stated, “ Gates’ visit comes at a time when Microsoft’s domination is very much being eroded,…This time, we have a lot of success stories to show him.”

Microsoft to invest $1.7 bn in India

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