I can't speak from experience, but my perspective is that offshoring works great when what you're offshoring is the building of machine tools, toys, furniture, computer components and even whole computers, cars, etc.
I'm sure apple, for instance, spends a lot of time making sure that foxconn builds the iPhone right. But Apple is not offshoring the software or the design of the iPhone.
For whatever reason, software development is a competitive advantage that the US has.... for the time being.
I've worked with people from india, pakistan, and former soviet block countries as programmers. They can be great programmers, but the best results seem to be when they come here and work with american teams.
Which is why we need to get visa reform and let american businesses hire the people they need.
I think that the offshoring of this work is driven more by not being able to import sufficient engineers than by anything else.
Software development IS design, not production. The compiler (or interpreter) and computer itself does all the production. That's the point of software and computers in general.
Developed countries have the advantage because it is more desirable to live in them, and talented designers of all types are scarce and can command high enough wages on the world market to easily afford their higher cost of living.
I'm sure apple, for instance, spends a lot of time making sure that foxconn builds the iPhone right. But Apple is not offshoring the software or the design of the iPhone.
For whatever reason, software development is a competitive advantage that the US has.... for the time being.
I've worked with people from india, pakistan, and former soviet block countries as programmers. They can be great programmers, but the best results seem to be when they come here and work with american teams.
Which is why we need to get visa reform and let american businesses hire the people they need.
I think that the offshoring of this work is driven more by not being able to import sufficient engineers than by anything else.