So, if most of the public discourse revolves around outsourcing, what kind of opportunities are being missed?
ED: India is not just a producer. It’s also a huge market – potentially many times the size of the developed economies – for all kinds of products and services. All the problems I could list with the Indian economy – too much paperwork, lack of products, lack of services, lack of training – with the right attitude, these are all business opportunities, because you can earn money by fixing them. For example, I’ve got an investment that does payroll outsourcing in Eastern Europe, where the laws and regulations governing wages are complex and change frequently. TG: So you have a top layer of companies that are able to dominate globally, while the middle layer are trying to fight for the developed markets. Does that mean there is a chance for smaller companies and startups to actually sidestep all of it and move into developing markets? ED: Well, Microsoft can’t afford not to be everywhere, but right now Google is only really using India as an R&D centre. The opportunities are there, but y
