Member Article

Next Steve Jobs is likely to be Chinese

The next Steve Jobs is likely to come from China, KPMG’s head of technology says.

Speaking ahead of the annual Silicon Dragon conference at London’s Google Campus,Tudor Aw said the UK cannot afford to “rest on its laurels” in the face of strong technological innovation in the Far East.

Mr Aw said: “The hunt is on for the next Steve Jobs or Jack Ma, but the evidence suggests he or she is more likely to come from China than the UK. After all, it’s in the Far East that we have seen less resistance to change, with just 24% believing that displacing existing tech roadmaps present a challenge for business.

“Quite simply, if the UK is to become known as a Twenty-First Century bastion of innovation, its organisations need to adopt a similar mentality.

“We are beginning to see China emerge as a real force in innovation, from network equipment and electric cars to genetic sequencing. It’s the result of an increased emphasis on innovation as the next crucial step is taken towards China’s evolving maturity and it’s something espoused at all levels - Government policy, boardroom leadership and by youngsters entering the workforce.

“The fact is that every company wants to unearth its own Bill Gates or Masayoshi Son, but it seems that such a progressive approach means it’s the ones in China that are more likely to see them emerge.”

He went on to highlight the level of investment needed for UK companies to compete with China and added: “In the last few years, China has certainly fostered a growing environment for the development of disruptive technologies, with some estimates claiming that R&D spending is growing a rate of 20 percent per year.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .