Viswanathan K's Thoughts

In recent times, we have seen the Chinese government take on the Big Tech companies of China aggressively, from Alibaba to TenCent. While the West tends to dismiss this as interference and power plays by a “communist” government, Anirudh Suri reminds us this clash between governments and “large, monopolistic corporations” has happened many times in history, including the West…   In The Great Tech Game , he points out how the Medici family of Florence controlled so much money (they were bankers) that it was more powerful than most kings and rulers of the time. In fact, the Medici family’s credibility was so high that money notes issued by them (practically a form of currency) evoked greater trust than the currency issued by the political rulers of the time. Not surprisingly then, the Medicis faced the ire of many kings and popes of the time, who tried to cut them down to size.   Next, he reminds us that both the Dutch and British East India Companies were so powerful that they ...

Plenty of students, ex-students, parents and corporations complain about the education system. The poor quality of teachers. The ways things are taught. And how what’s taught is of little relevance at the workplace. But where exactly does the fault lie? And what could be the solution? Do many teachers lack in-depth subject knowledge? Absolutely. But why is it so? That’s easy. They are not paid well. Certainly not the kind of salaries that would attract the experts in any field. So you pay them peanuts, then expect the smartest people to sign up, to stay motivated, and to find ways to make the subject interesting? Get real! You get what you pay for. So why not increase their salaries? Easier said than done. Everyone, including the middle class and the rich, complains whenever a fee hike is proposed. The government even forces private schools to get parents to agree to fee hikes. Like that’s ever going to happen. If school fees have to be kept low, the money to run a school or col...