From what I can see, a lot of the startups in China are just copying ideas and products that have gained traction here in the US. Look at youku.com and tudou.com, major video sharing sites in China, they seem very similar to youtube.com in layout, social network etc. Then look at baidu.com, the major search engine in China. Wow does that homepage remind you of some other search site? Hmmmm.

I am not trying to say that Chinese startups don't have good ideas. But why do they have to blatantly copy US startups that are successful? Obviously, startups inspire each other, but I will posit that what is lacking in China to a certain extent is:

1. Creativity, which leads to a strong tendency to generate knock-offs of Western companies or products. This includes both software and hardware. 2. Openess or ability for people with good ideas to step forward and actuate them. The Chinese educational system is segmented and once you are on a certain path there is not really the ability to change or reinvent oneself as easily as in the West.

Look at Twitter, Apple, and many of the other companies at the forefront of tech and business. The leaders and visionaries behind these companies were not necessarily formally trained in what they are doing cause who can be trained to be a trendsetter! No way. There can only be the right environment for innovation which needs creativity, access to resources, and lots of hard work.

I speak as someone trained in the US in philosophy and politics but learned software development as an afterthought and am building companies and products. Someone like me could not exist in China and to a lesser extent in India due to their narrow-minded educational systems.

I wish founders and developers across the world the best of luck in their endeavors, but know that me and my non-traditional founder compatriots here in the US will compete with you and compete hard!