Yes, we can! Right?
March 1st, 2009 | by emontero | Recently, a couple of friends asked me what my thoughts on the Obama presidency are so far. They wanted my opinion based on Obama’s technology and science plans. For the sake of clarity, I have edited my reply slightly.
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The Obama presidency promises to be a tech- and science-focused one. Since the early days of his campaign, Barack Obama indicated he’d like nothing more than fostering science and engineering in all schools and colleges throughout the United States. With his much celebrated win, Obama has made the outlook of returning the US to its dominant position as the world’s science and technology powerhouse seem more likely. That is, of course, if the new president happens to follow through.
The economy could prove to be Obama’s plans ultimate deterrent. Fortunately, with a little bit more than a month in office, the president and his cabinet have managed to force the approval of a stimulus package that would eventually resuscitate the precarious US economy. The much-promised change, though, won’t happen overnight. Unemployment rates are incredibly high. Start-ups in Silicon Valley, and pretty much everywhere else, are taking a hit as more and more investors take less chances with their money. Most companies have reduced, if not halted altogether, hiring and other expanding efforts. Confidence in the financial markets has plummeted worldwide. The following trite remark encapsulates our current reality: “Things will only get worse before they get better”. This, too, applies to the highly resilient tech industry.
Nevertheless, the long term prospect is thankfully less gloomy. If Obama succeeds in restoring science and engineering in America, it will only be a matter of time before the tech industry is directly benefited from the rich ecosystem that will plausibly arise when qualified students, innovators and investors meet in a revived marketplace. It certainly won’t happen tomorrow. But, if the president’s drive is an indicator, good times await the tech industry in the United States.
“Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good.” — Václav Havel
