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I sometimes wonder how much of the US tech industry's success and influence depends on, 1) access to the world's largest market (including the access that comes

I sometimes wonder how much of the US tech industry's success and influence depends on, 1) access to the world's largest market (including the access that comes from cultural familiarity), 2) the U.S.'s already enormous global cultural influence, 3) English, it's distribution across the globe and the fact that much IT is built on it, and 4) first-mover advantage. In other words, to what degree are those the reasons that the world uses Facebook and Android, and not the South Korean equivalents? (Yes, the question is a bit theoretical and likely impossible to answer definitively.)

exacube 11y ago
This is a very good point, and I'm sure it depends on all 4 of things very heavily. There were multiple Facebook competitors, but Facebook executed their product MUCH better than everyone else (real names/people, exclusive to certain communities at first) and I would think it was a big cause for their success. As for Android, I was told recently that it was released in a time when carriers (Verizon) defined what apps should be shipped in phones, and largely commissioned manufacturers to make said apps.. Android helped make this a non-issue by letting anyone make apps, making a market, and letting every phone manufacturer ship it for free (no one else did this). Even if Android was crappy in comparison to the iPhone initially, it provided a lot of freedom for the manufacturers, making it very attractive. Not to mention every non-iOS/Android mobile OS back then was garbage in comparison.
IndianAstronaut 11y ago
There may be a strong case for the English part of it. India also has a thriving tech sector and English knowledge plays a significant role there.
dba7dba 11y ago
Actually not impossible to answer. Yes, all 4 factors do help US tech industry succeed. 1) Google could have made the amount of cash from ads because of population size of US. Had it started in places like Korea, it could've been profitable but not to the point where it can finance other fantastic ideas and projects, starting a snowballing effect. 2) True too. A tech company from US? Everyone else around the world is bound to hear about it. A hot tech company from non-US? Most others hear about it when it's acquired by US company. KakaoTalk makes millions and millions in real profit and has 93% market penetration of a fairly not-so small country but no one outside knows about it. And when Facebook buys WhatsApp for $16 billion in paper money, and everyone knows about WhatsApp. 3) Programming is possible only if you know english alphabets. Much tools/methodologies are first available in English. Big factor why large S Korean corporations have sucky software. If you can speak/write/read English well, far more prestigious careers paths are available for you in the mega corporations. Although this is fast changing due to effect of Facebook and other internet success stories. 4) Maybe. But not always. Cyworld in S Korea was a social network service that was launched about 4-5 years before Myspace and facebook. At one point it dominated S Korean cyber space. Then they got complacent and stagnated. And facebook came in. Interesting anecdotal. I heard that Andy Rubin first floated Android OS to Samsung to launch. Samsung already had been one of the big phone makers at that point. Samsung for some reason turned down the offer. I think they knew (probably right) they couldn't make Android succeed. They are hardware makers, weak in software overall, and not part of the English speaking sphere. Some Korean observers chided Samsung for letting Android get away to Google, but I think had Samsung been the main partner of Android, Android wouldn't have succeeded as it has now.

exacube 11y ago

This is a very good point, and I'm sure it depends on all 4 of things very heavily. There were multiple Facebook competitors, but Facebook executed their product MUCH better than everyone else (real names/people, exclusive to certain communities at first) and I would think it was a big cause for their success. As for Android, I was told recently that it was released in a time when carriers (Verizon) defined what apps should be shipped in phones, and largely commissioned manufacturers to make said apps.. Android helped make this a non-issue by letting anyone make apps, making a market, and letting every phone manufacturer ship it for free (no one else did this). Even if Android was crappy in comparison to the iPhone initially, it provided a lot of freedom for the manufacturers, making it very attractive. Not to mention every non-iOS/Android mobile OS back then was garbage in comparison.

IndianAstronaut 11y ago

There may be a strong case for the English part of it. India also has a thriving tech sector and English knowledge plays a significant role there.

dba7dba 11y ago

Actually not impossible to answer. Yes, all 4 factors do help US tech industry succeed. 1) Google could have made the amount of cash from ads because of population size of US. Had it started in places like Korea, it could've been profitable but not to the point where it can finance other fantastic ideas and projects, starting a snowballing effect. 2) True too. A tech company from US? Everyone else around the world is bound to hear about it. A hot tech company from non-US? Most others hear about it when it's acquired by US company. KakaoTalk makes millions and millions in real profit and has 93% market penetration of a fairly not-so small country but no one outside knows about it. And when Facebook buys WhatsApp for $16 billion in paper money, and everyone knows about WhatsApp. 3) Programming is possible only if you know english alphabets. Much tools/methodologies are first available in English. Big factor why large S Korean corporations have sucky software. If you can speak/write/read English well, far more prestigious careers paths are available for you in the mega corporations. Although this is fast changing due to effect of Facebook and other internet success stories. 4) Maybe. But not always. Cyworld in S Korea was a social network service that was launched about 4-5 years before Myspace and facebook. At one point it dominated S Korean cyber space. Then they got complacent and stagnated. And facebook came in. Interesting anecdotal. I heard that Andy Rubin first floated Android OS to Samsung to launch. Samsung already had been one of the big phone makers at that point. Samsung for some reason turned down the offer. I think they knew (probably right) they couldn't make Android succeed. They are hardware makers, weak in software overall, and not part of the English speaking sphere. Some Korean observers chided Samsung for letting Android get away to Google, but I think had Samsung been the main partner of Android, Android wouldn't have succeeded as it has now.