"I'll never forget a sign posted at a business where I used to work," said U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D., Wash.). " 'We're competing with everyone, every day, forever.' It's a pretty good ethic."
Government must supply the backbone for innovation, argued Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a noted author and Harvard professor. The coolest self-driving cars of the near future won't be worth squat if government-tended roads and bridges fall apart.
Grants by government-backed groups such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health pay off, with many projects trickling down to the private sector. "How many of you checked the weather forecast on your phone this morning?" asked David Zapolsky, Amazon's general counsel. "That information all comes from NOAA [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]."
From another angle, Washington state's timber industry could take heart and profits from government research that proves its new laminated wood product made from smaller trees is strong and viable as a building material, said U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D., Wash.).
Top priority, panelists reiterated, are government efforts to close the digital divide and beef up science curriculum at schools to produce the computer coders "we're looking to hire and are competing for today with all kinds of industries," said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft Corp.
A good case in point is the tech savvy supervisors who manage operations at the Dogfish Head brewery in Milton, Del., as cited by U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.). While disheartened to see "all the robots" bottling the brew, Coons has warmed to the idea that "they're also helping bring good jobs here that otherwise wouldn't exist." And to keep 'em coming? "We need to be stronger, better on trade enforcement."
While Amazon lobbies for "immigration reform," the online giant also is working to elevate the skills of current U.S. employees with a program called Career Choice, said Zapolsky. Order fulfillment center workers with at least a year experience are encouraged to take vocational classes on site and at local colleges. The firm covers 95 percent of tuition costs "even when the skills they're gaining could lead them into other industries."
James Greenwood, CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, put up the traditional big pharma case against price regulations, noting the high costs and failure rates of new drugs. And he threatened that the life-extending drugs on the horizon would come to naught if price controls are imposed.
Facebook's chief privacy officer, Erin Egan; Microsoft's Smith, and DelBene all argued for better security on private data and networks, so timely again this week given the hack of the Democrats.
"We can't compete successfully unless we produce technology that the world can trust," the Microsoft man warned.
