This. This is why all these professor type folks are never reliable. Especially if one is named as "Ashoka Mody". Social science is mostly a joke these days. Unlike hard science, it is never tested against reality. So all the opinions are taken as gospel truths. Here is a blast from his past, his stupid sass and idiotic arse!
He in 1987 recommended India to invest in low-level electronic component manufacturing and focus on hardware system design while software should not be an area of focus because, in his own words,
This was laughable even back in 80s. Visionaries like Bill Gates and entire silicon valley had realized the potential of software and entire industry was growing phenomenally. It is funny for this chap, back then a World Bank employee and a graduate of Princeton in Economic with a background in electronics would think that. Something Tatas of India foresaw and he missed! He though software as "the lowest value add". HA!
There is a famous line in "Fire in the valley" when Bill Gates is negotiating a deal with Altair computers in 1980 or so. "Your Computer is marvellous! But it needs our software to function. Otherwise it just sits there and blinks". LOL! Software was and even today is the highest value add in computation. Its the most expensive product out there.
It is noteworthy, India software exports grew to 131 million dollars by the end of 1990 and 219 in 1992. Admittedly lower than 250 million that DoE but certainly nowhere near the kind of dismissal that he was basing his recommendation on. Software indeed outgrew ALL other forms of export in electronics from India.
This is laughable beyond measure. This is an article from 1987. Lets see some numbers..
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Even back in 1987, it should have been clear to ANYONE with a single working neuron that software was an area of high growth (30-50% per year). And then this moron suggests that "
There is some indication that the market is unlikely to grow and may even dwindle". What the ACTUAL ****! Was he stupid or demented? Its one of the few areas which became a billion dollar export from almost 0 in just 15-16 years!
And Mr Ashok Mody's recommendation was and I quote!
Yup! This is what this idiot had recommended as a economic "genious". Now we have seen the reality as this is history. So excuse me if I do not give ANY credence to this idiot's opinion.