As American as...Technology

As we celebrate July 4^th in the US and honor our troops and veterans, I would also like to salute  the leaders and foot soldiers who are global ambassadors for our technology industry. They are projecting the positive, nurturing face of the US. Our industry is bringing independence from illiteracy, poverty, bureaucracy around the world and we need to celebrate that too today.

Leaders of four companies deserve specific recognition – Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, GE.  Just these 4 together export more each year than all of India’s industries (not just technology) export. In an age of growing US trade deficits, we need to honor them for their work.  Each of these leaders also brings a commitment and passion for global trade and relations.

- Bill Gates, with  his continued global philanthropy, including the recent Africa Live 8 event. Many folks around the world actually believe he is our President. 

- John Chambers,  with  his regular contribution and polish at the influential, annual World Economic Forum in Davos

- Larry Ellison, with his outspokenness as a “global citizen" and for his embrace of fine things from around the world, Japanese, Italian and others.

- Jeff Immelt, with  his fearless betting of his company on exports to and sourcing from the developing world  - while GE is not necessarily considered a technology company, his medical, power and other products pack a lot of sophisticated technology.

There are so many other US technology executives I could similarly applaud.

Then there are the “do-ers”. The Bearingpoint team working on the Iraq re-construction. Software veterans like Mike Laven equally comfortable in the Valley as they are in London and New Delhi. David Scott Lewis for the work he is doing to educate the US technology market about China. Others like Karen Beaman who spent years for ADP in Europe using her fluency in god-knows-how many languages.

Today in the US we celebrate the Liberty Bell, the Marines, baseball, apple pie - symbols the world knows as uniquely American. I would like to add global technology leadership to this list - and also salute the contributors.