> Even then, the idea that no good local education is needed and that some body can just get a laptop, read some docs, and start making money is too optimistic.

> Even then, the idea that no good local education is needed and that some body can just get a laptop, read some docs, and start making money is too optimistic. This is viewing what I said in an impossibly narrow light. We don't need every man woman and child (of sufficient age to work) to be brimming with such initiative and self-agency. Just a subset of entrepreneurial ones who start businesses which bring these factors together and hire others. This happens on both sides of the ocean. If you can't hire the skills you need you train people. It's far cheaper to do in a country where your competition is the pay they get at home on the farm. This is exactly the situation in India. By the way did you see the thread about what a hassle it is to start a business in India? Only a fraction of Americans work for large businesses. Generally more work for small businesses, so focusing only on giant scaled-up business models isn't even an accurate picture here.