Sun expanding overseas

The CS Monitor has an article about Sun keeping R&D staffing (fairly) constant in the US, but expanding in Bangalore, Beijing, St. Petersburg and Prague.

While I was in San Diego on business the last 5 days, I took a quick trip to LA on Saturday to meet up for lunch with other customers who I had never met face to face. We talked a little about outsourcing in general. My take is this: I don't worry so much about outsourcing. What does concern me more is what I believe to be a "dumbing down" of America. Too many students are staying away from science and technology. Too many religious extremists are pushing schools to teach kids in school that god created the world 6000 years ago (BTW, I am religious, but I think that god created the universe about 13 billion years ago as a singularity that lead to the big-bang). Education is both painfully underfunded in our country and also money is not spent wisely - we will pay for both errors in the future.

Back to Sun investing in offshore R&D centers: why shouldn't they? Large corporations are no longer "US companies" - they have already paid off (so called soft money) Presidents Clinton and Bush and most of the Congress to let corporations off the hook for paying their fair share of taxes. Did you and your friends notice a higher tax bill this April 15? Well get used to it suckers - richer and more powerful people than you and I have rigged the game to their rules. It's a done-deal, so don't even worry about it.

My expectations are that corporations will continue to do what is in their own best interests, and I don't think that I will be disappointed.

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