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patrick.mannion
The whole SOX fiasco hogtied our industry and gagged the leaders, but there are ...
peter.clarke
And then we have outspoken executives such as Foxconn's Terry Gou roaming around ...
Silicon Valley Nation: Lost voices
Brian Fuller
10/1/2012 3:13 PM EDT
Leadership wanted
The people who should be leading the industry are quiet, cowed by Sarbanes-Oxley, or--worse--just dull and passionless, lumpy personalities formed years ago in some sad gray MBA classroom. Some of the best passion and insight you hear today comes from you, on comments on stories here at EE Times and other publications, but most commenters aren't executives. Engineers still run the companies but these aren't your father's engineers.
Does it matter? Yes, absolutely. It matters because in a grimly uncertain world and a time of industry transition, industry leaders--someone, anyone--need to stand up and show some passion for what we do.
Engineers go to work each day and solve problems science fiction writers couldn't dream about a few decades ago. Engineering is passion, but we're not seeing any trickle-down passion from the C-suite.
Yes, it's a mature industry but mature industries can be passionate and vibrant ( see the automotive business, now more than a century old) with their articulate larger-than-life leaders, who have one eye on their company and another on the industry at large.
The world isn't going to become a less complex and competitive place. It's time. Who's going to step up?
The people who should be leading the industry are quiet, cowed by Sarbanes-Oxley, or--worse--just dull and passionless, lumpy personalities formed years ago in some sad gray MBA classroom. Some of the best passion and insight you hear today comes from you, on comments on stories here at EE Times and other publications, but most commenters aren't executives. Engineers still run the companies but these aren't your father's engineers.
Does it matter? Yes, absolutely. It matters because in a grimly uncertain world and a time of industry transition, industry leaders--someone, anyone--need to stand up and show some passion for what we do.
Engineers go to work each day and solve problems science fiction writers couldn't dream about a few decades ago. Engineering is passion, but we're not seeing any trickle-down passion from the C-suite.
Yes, it's a mature industry but mature industries can be passionate and vibrant ( see the automotive business, now more than a century old) with their articulate larger-than-life leaders, who have one eye on their company and another on the industry at large.
The world isn't going to become a less complex and competitive place. It's time. Who's going to step up?
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Harold.Nelson
10/1/2012 4:29 PM EDT
Most of the money is flowing through Asia, these days. Nobody cares about grandiose personalities unless they can drive revenue. Steve Jobs and the new Apple CEO opinions matter, most others do not.
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dylan.mcgrath
10/1/2012 5:23 PM EDT
I think you hit the nail on the head. The mavericks of yesteryear inspired people, and they occasionally spoke first and thought it through later, sometimes with negative results. I would argue that these kinds of people are still running Silicon Valley companies, but everyone has gotten way more careful. Statements are more carefully vetted in the era of Sarbanes-Oxley and heightened concern over day to day stock price fluctuation. Being careful has its merits, but we do lose something.
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gronk
10/1/2012 8:12 PM EDT
Successful businessmen do not always make for good theater or good EE Times interviews.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page may not come off as mad scientists or swashbuckling pirates, but they've done their fair share of meaningful work.
Flashiness is over-rated.
Furthermore, this is a time where even inhabitants of third-world villages know what comes out of Silicon Valley. Its success stories are treated like rock stars.
I wouldn't worry about the allure of engineering being diminished in recent years.
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peter.clarke
10/2/2012 8:45 AM EDT
And then we have outspoken executives such as Foxconn's Terry Gou roaming around Asia.
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patrick.mannion
10/4/2012 9:07 AM EDT
The whole SOX fiasco hogtied our industry and gagged the leaders, but there are still some great voices out here. Take Dr. T from National Instruments: Passion personified. And then startup CEOs like Brett Fox of Touchstone (nice interview, by the way, Brian)who are making good headway and making no bones about it. But, alas, your point is still valid, echoes in the silicon corridor, "Is there anybody out there?"
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