The computer and the motor car: another intriguing similarity

My Observer colleague Simon Caulkin has a fascinating column today on the parallels between the US-dominated automobile industry in the 1960s and the US-dominated software industry in the 2000s. What’s the parallel? Well, in the 1960s, the automobile manufacturers were ‘relaxed’ about quality whereas the upstart Japanese were not. We all know what happened. In the 2000s, the software companies are, er, relaxed about quality (not to mention security) and — guess what? — the Indians are not. This is the really interesting aspect of the ‘offshoring’ debate. And the funniest thing of all is that Bill Gates drives a Lexus.