Though not a homogeneous lot, some
lessons common to all countries in transition are already
evident.
Technology is a social phenomenon with social implications. It
fosters entrepreneurship and social mobility. By allowing the
countries in transition to skip massive investments in
outdated technologies - the cellular phone, the Internet,
cable TV, and the satellite came to be perceived as shortcuts
to prosperity, the generators of the dual ethoses of "rags to
riches", and "creative destruction" (dizzying, constant, and
disruptive innovation). They are the future, a youthful
promise, and a landscape of opportunities.
Software developers in CEE countries tried to establish local
versions of "Silicon Valley", or the flourishing software
industry in India. Russian entrepreneurs developed anti virus
software, Yugoslavs offered web design services, electronic
media flourished in the Czech Republic and so on. But, as hard
reality set in, most of these talents left for Western Europe,
the USA, Canada, and Australia - where technology firms
snatched them eagerly.
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