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Comment by nktsg | Hacker News Reader

Nicely put. I think the idea of disruptive innovation by technology is very much influenced by the industrial revolution in the west. And only now is that we've started to discuss in public domain the consequences of it on nature and our species. Sadly, most of the Indian entrepreneurs today are still influenced by the Western model of technical innovation and disruption having blind spots about how to use technology to solve the local issues.

I grew up in a modest town in India and have been working in the tech domain. But it deeply upsets me that technology is not effectively used in here to solve the most fundamental issue that is of access to education, healthcare and electricity. Most of the population in India doesn't even have the proper education to understand the implications of technology.

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A lot of Indian entrepreneurs who have grown in cities do not even understand the problems of the real India and blindly copy western solutions in many cases. Dining at an upscale restaurant or shopping at a fancy retailer in a swanky neighborhood you can see how weird some of the solutions are.

How are cities in India not the "real India"?

Is someone else supposed to work on solving the local issues while you personally reap the rewards of working in the tech domain? Is your work pushing against the status quo of any of these fundamentals you talk about?

Does yours? Why are you so aggressive? Where does the need to call him out comes from?

I asked straightforward questions. I wasn't aggressive in what I said. I did call him out on his self-professed disappointment with the state of affairs which seems to be blaming the tech talent out of India for not working on solving fundamental issues. This sort of punting of responsibility for building India is common among Indian youth. The thought being - someone else is supposed to sacrifice their career and life to create a better India to solve my disappointment.

And no my work doesn't, but I'm not the one professing disappointment with Indian entrepreneurs.

I appreciate your inputs. But allow me clarify on a few points.

First, I'm not blaming the tech talent here. There is a difference between expressing disappointment and outright blaming. I understand that we're still in early stages of tech innovation. And there are entrepreneurs out there who are trying hard to solve fundamental issues.What I was suggesting that we can do much more if we given our talent pool. Read about the founder of ZOHO and how he has moved back in his village and trying to create job opportunities there in the tech sector. That's one way of thinking about it.

Second, I believe in the idea of building India with the power of technology not with any nationalist agenda. And being in the tech sector for a handful of years, I've plans of doing something in the mentioned areas in coming years.

Third, it's not about sacrificing one's career or life for the betterment of the country. If someone is working, paying taxes and contributing in the economy, that itself is enough. And entrepreneurship is about solving problems be it a problem in the urban economy or the rural economy. But entrepreneurship aligned more with large scale issues create large scale impact. We don't have to go back much in history to see that. :)

Good discussion all around.

I will make the point if all you are doing is paying taxes you are supporting the system you dislike. Without you (and others like you) the system would fail. If you demanded change those that represent taxpayers will do your bidding.

Parent has a point if everyone is saying I'm too small to make a difference someone else richer or larger will than you become part of the problem.

One issue with capitalism as it currently stands, it is largely based on self-interest.

On the one hand, GP laments lack of work on local social issues.

On the other hand, GP is competing with everyone in that local area for the best jobs and work. Volunteering doesn't put bread on the table.

> But it deeply upsets me that technology is not effectively used in here to solve the most fundamental issue that is of access to education, healthcare and electricity

Just as Zuckerberg couldn't conquer India, city kids will not be able to solve problems in rural India.

Why exactly are you expecting city kids to be able to solve a problem that they are fundamentally unaware of?

Why aren't you seizing this opportunity? Find a small problem, figure out a fix for it. Start a company or empower locals to start their own company that earns revenue.

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