Thursday, January 24, 2008

What Capitalism Doesn't Need

Adjectives like "creative" to modify it.

From the Wall Street Journal today:

In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the software tycoon plans to call for a "creative capitalism" that uses market forces to address poor-country needs that he feels are being ignored.

"We have to find a way to make the aspects of capitalism that serve wealthier people serve poorer people as well," Mr. Gates will tell world leaders at the forum, according to a copy of the speech seen by The Wall Street Journal.

Capitalism is by its nature creative. Ask a capitalist.

If Bill wants to put an adjective in front of "capitalism," then perhaps he should consider "universal" and challenge the attendees at Davos to help establish the institutions in poor countries that will make that adjective redundant as well. That way, the billions of people living in poverty in these areas will have access to the one economic system that can meaningfully improve their plight.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

From a pure technology perspective, "MicroSoft" and "creative" together is an oxymoron.

Ask Apple, NetScape, Word-Perfect, and a host of other true innovators.

Tom said...

Yes...Microsoft held weapons to the heads of millions of IT buyers, held their children hostage, and threatened to kick their dogs if they didn't buy Windows and Office.

Puh-leeze. Microsoft's innovation was in positioning and rarely overshooting on function. They were MUCH smarter than most of the competition and they won big. Lucky? Sure. Unsavory (and occasionally illegal) business practices? Absolutely. WordPerfect? You're kidding, right?