E-G8:

Opinions from Digital Thought Leaders

May 24, 2011
Introduction The Key Issues
The e-G8 forum is one of the few Innovation
Many nations are desperate to encourage entrepreneur-
arenas in which government leaders
ship, with Silicon Valley as the shining example of a
ask for opinion from innovators and key hotbed of innovation. Our contributors advise how
individuals involved in the Internet. governments can help entrepreneurs and encourage
innovative ecosystems — often by simply getting
out of the way.
This is great. But the Internet is all For governments, there’s an awkward fact about the
historical success of the Internet as an innovation
about being open, and so we think it’s catalyst: by and large politicians have ignored it. Digital
vital to gather viewpoints in a written thought leaders are extremely skeptical that any
involvement in the Net by governments has been, or can
form for wider audiences to see and
be positive. Governments that truly desire innovation
comment on. must take heed.

Net Neutrality and Openness

We chose contributors who are thought Shutting off Internet access has recently become a dic-
leaders in the digital space, ranging tator’s default response to unrest. This illustrates some-
thing fundamental: that the health of the Net is vital for
from entrepreneurs, to investors, to democracy, and that the wishes of governments may not
advocates for the Internet, to creatives align with what is good for the Net. This holds true for all
nations, whether dictatorships or G8 members.
and journalists. We did not choose
So treating the Internet carefully, as a global public
politicians. These individuals were good, is now seen by most contributors as a responsibil-
asked to comment on eight questions, ity of all governments. The upside of this responsibility
is that governments can have their cake and eat it — our
around the two key issues to be contributors view an open Internet as great for innova-
discussed at the e-G8 — innovation tion, and great for the people too.

and the openness of the Internet.

Have your say
I look forward to a great debate at the
The contributors are individuals from
e-G8, and encourage you to comment
all around the world, who have
on this report at mygengo.com/talk/
contributed huge amounts to
blog/e-g8-report
innovation and the web. They care
passionately about the success of the Robert Laing CEO, myGengo
net, and they are vocal about it. Tokyo

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 To comment on this report, visit mygengo.com/talk/blog/e-g8-report. Views expressed in this
Unported License, is a free download from mygengo.com/going-global and may be distributed, report are those of the individuals quoted and do not represent the views of myGengo or any
quoted, stored, translated as long as you include this notice. other corporation or body. myGengo is not affiliated with the e-G8 Forum.
About myGengo
myGengo is a Tokyo-based technology startup that delivers human translation at scale. Our work is about breaking down global barriers, and as part of
this initiative we produce research and analysis on worldwide Internet usage and global considerations for business.
Contributors
Aki Sano Founder and CEO of Cookpad.com, the Japa-
nese recipe website that went public in 2009.
Benjamin Joffe A leading expert on Asia’s digital and mobile
space and an angel investor.
Chris McCann Founder of StartupDigest, the weekly email
newsletter for startup news, events and jobs
now in 27 countries.
Cory Doctorow Science fiction author, activist, journalist and
blogger. Co-editor of Boing Boing and author of
bestselling novel “Little Brother”
Daniel Lewington Head of Strategy and User Experience at Lon-
don mobile innovation startup Apsmart.
Dave McClure Venture capitalist, angel investor and founding
partner at 500 Startups, a seed and accelerator
fund based in Silicon Valley.
Elizabeth Yin Entrepreneur and founder of Boston-based
startup guidance service LaunchBit.
Felix Miller Co-founder and former CEO of Last.fm, the
social music networking website. Last.fm was
acquired by CBS in 2007.
Flo Heiss Executive Creative Director at London-based
digital marketing agency Dare.
Francine Hardaway Serial entrepreneur, self-described “geek-to-
human translator” and co-founder of Stealth-
mode Partners
Gagan Biyani Co-Founder of Udemy, a website that enables
anyone to teach and learn online; columnist for
MobileCrunch.com.
Hiroko Tabuchi Tokyo-based business, economics and technol-
ogy reporter for The New York Times. Hiroko is
from Kobe, Japan.
Hironori Maeda Co-director of Tokyo’s incubator & accelerator,
Open Network Lab.
Hiroshi Asaeda Founder of Tokyo-based web consultancy Melt-
ingdots and expert on virtual worlds.
Jared Goralnick Founder and CEO of Silicon Valley-based email
and availability startup Awayfind
Jeff Bonforte CEO of based email information startup Xobni
Matt Firth Freelance Creative Director at London-based
Digital Marketing and Technology Agency LBi
Mike Williams Partner at London-based digital creative
agency Ubermore.com
Osuke Honda Japan Partner at venture capital firm DCM. DCM
has offices in Silicon Valley, Beijing and Tokyo.
Paul Papadimitriou Japan-based startup advisor, mentor and VP
and principal analyst at Constellation Research
Pawel Chudzinski Co-founder and partner at Germany and
Poland-based European seed-stage fund Team
Europe Ventures.
Rahaf Harfoush Social Media Expert; Member of Obama’s New
Media Team; Assoc. Director of the Global Coop-
eration Initiative at the World Economic Forum.
Steve Blank Eight-time entrepreneur and now teacher of
entrepreneurship at Stanford University, author
of Customer Development bible “The Four Steps
to the Epiphany”.
Takahito Iguchi Founder and CEO of Japanese startup Ton-
chidot, makers of Social Augmented Reality
Mobile Location-based Service “Sekai Camera”
Tamas Locher Founder of Vienna-based disruptive fashion
startup Garmz.com
Teresa Lunt Vice President and Director of the Computing
Science Laboratory research organization at
PARC, a Xerox company and innovation center.
Wenceslao Casares Argentinian technology entrepreneur, founder
of the country’s first internet service provider,
currently CEO of the startup Bling Nation in
Silicon Valley.
The Internet & social media
have empowered people around
the world, most recently and
spectacularly in the Middle East.
What should G8 leaders do to
foster this kind of openness
and transparency?
The Internet & social media have empowered people around the world, most recently and spectacularly in
the Middle East. What should G8 leaders do to foster this kind of openness and transparency?
Francine Hardaway
First, the G-8 must continue to acknowledge and respect
what is happening, and understand that because it
comes from the grass roots it may be messy. Allow it to
have voice. The internet has the potential to connect the
world, abolish misunderstanding, and bring about world
peace, but only if people don’t defend their previous turf,
and that includes the G-8. The world may look different
when the Arab spring is complete.
Second, respect the fact that people now have
global networks, and encourage this. Our immigration,
work visa, and travel systems are outmoded for the
world we live in. In fact, the geographical nation state
may be obsolete.
Cory Doctorow
G8 leaders need to be skeptical and critical of politi-
cians who use the net for self-serving, political and
corporatist needs.
Nicolas Sarkozy’s Internet
policies would give any Middle
Eastern despot a run for his
money; HADOPI treats the net
as a political football,
and Internet access as a triviality to be suspended for
people who are accused to listening to music without
paying for it. EG8 stands with WSIS as an attempt to give
credibility to plutocrats and censors by asking Internet
users to legitimize their misdeeds.
Hiroko Tabuchi
The very power of grassroots movements on the Internet
and in social media is that they exist beyond the realm
of government influence or control. But G8 leaders can
play a big role in making sure people around the world
have unfettered access to these essential tools and
networks.
Rahaf Harfoush
The Internet has become a necessity of life and a basic
human right. Issues like Net Neutrality are extremely
important in guaranteeing that everyone has access
to the same information online. The Internet needs to
remain as a free tool in the hands of the people instead
of falling prey to corporate initiatives that don’t have our
best interests at heart. 
Leaders need to speak out and encourage their counter-
parts to grant access to their citizens so that they can
benefit from the opportunity found online. 
Pawel Chudzinski, Team Europe Ventures
Do not overregulate. As the digitial ecosystem gets
larger it attracts the attention of policymakers who do
not know much about it – This can be dangerous!
Aki Sano
Don’t change anything. And stop the ‘old guard’ who
will try to change things.
Paul Papadimitriou
Make access to broadband a
fundamental right.
Finland implemented this into its Constitution back
in 2009 and this should be common practice. The G8
should foster this type of implementation, in the funda-
mental texts of its participating states, not only as a dec-
laration of intent. It might sound dull to give this right in
countries where broadband is generally already widely
available, but it’s a strong signal to everyone else.
Ecuador had itself declared access information and
communication technologies a fundamental right in
2008. A serious debate around net neutrality shouldn’t
be avoided.
What can nations do to foster
innovation, ensure that startups
succeed, keep and attract
innovators, and benefit from
the success of their startups?
What can nations do to foster innovation, ensure that startups succeed, keep and attract
innovators, and benefit from the success of their startups?

Dave McClure tax treatment for investors, can help companies launch
Don’t get in the way. Create reasonable tax policies, and new products. Because diversity is critical for a crucible
allow a quick incorporation process. of creativity, countries that do not raise barriers to the
Smaller countries should look to Singapore and Chile as free exchange of ideas and people will always have an
great examples of doing it right. advantage.
Larger countries — don’t be a pain! Liberal policies for
immigration foster innovation Steve Blank
Don’t have restrictions that make it costly for people to Build a culture where failure
fail early and often.
equals experience. Build a legal
Hiroko Tabuchi system where failure does not
If you look at Silicon Valley, the biggest source of in-
novation in our time, you notice two things that are very
require punitive legal processes.
different from many of the economies of the G8. First,
Hinori Maeda, Co-director, Open Network Lab
young people get heard. Second, almost everybody is
Nations should create tax incentives or subsidize costs
from somewhere else.
for those who are starting companies or investing in
To foster innovation, you need to give young people
them, allow a more flexible structure for shareholders
a place at the table, and open your doors to both people
of incorporations, and create a secondary market for
and ideas from beyond your own borders.
private companies - where shareholders can easily buy
and sell private equity.
Gagan Biyani
The best thing that states can do is to stay out of the
Osuke Honda, DCM
way of startups. Specifically:
Talent – Excellent education, flexible skilled immigration
Eliminate cumbersome paperwork and regulation sur-
and naturalization, appropriate stock option policy. A
rounding opening/closing businesses
safety net (healthcare, unemployment) to allow people
Limit government-imposed costs and fees associated
to take risks.
with operating as a small business / startup enterprise
Market Infrastructure – Domestic markets must be ready
Encourage investment by providing incentives (rather
for distribution and monetization. Internet access, pay-
than disincentives) to those who are willing to finance
ment infrastructure, and logistics must be inexpensive
early-stage startup ventures
and high quality.
Reduce the capital gains tax burden associated with
Create Start-up Heroes – Celebrate success and cel-
equity gains from startups
ebrate failure too. The best and brightest of a society
Foster a community of support (aka service providers
must be the entrepreneurs; there needs to be a culture
and educational resources) that help startups succeed
that encourages little boys and girls not to want to be-
come movie stars, but the next Bill Gates or Jack Ma.
Wenceslao Casares
Make it easy to attract cross-border talent. Have poli-
Rahaf Harfoush
cies that support venture capital development.
Access to mentorship programs, strong relationships
with local universities and favorable tax conditions are
Teresa Lunt, Xerox PARC
important elements to make it easy for people to bring
Nations that invest in research on a competitive basis
their ideas to life.
can create a fertile pool of ideas, technologies, and
Each country needs to look at the qualities that
people that new companies will draw on. Nations that
make them unique instead of simply trying to copy Sili-
provide incentives, such as small business research
con Valley. Support not just entrepreneurs, but creative
grants for technology commercialization, or favorable
What can nations do to foster innovation, ensure that startups succeed, keep and attract
innovators, and benefit from the success of their startups?
and academic types as well that can bring inspiration to
a community as well as provide unique cross-disciplinary
perspectives and insights that will feed into an innova-
tion based ecosystem. 
Chris McCann
Stop trying to do too much. Governments are notori-
ously bad at fostering innovation and I believe more of
it should come from the private sector as opposed to the
government. And there is a HUGE difference between
“high-growth” startups and small business startups.
Pawel Chudzinski, Team Europe Ventures
Create a good environment for early stage investors (low
regulation, reasonable taxation) and startups (e.g. easier
labor laws / regulations for small companies)
Invest in education
Invest in infrastructure (e.g. broadband internet)
Francine Hardaway
Keep regulatory barriers low. For example, I am told
Brazil has a 100% payroll tax, and I know it has a visa re-
quirement. That means talent can’t go there easily, and
small companies are discouraged from hiring. The US
has similar problems with its immigration laws; immi-
grants can’t start businesses in the US. We lose talent
that way. I think nations are going to have to recognize
the fluidity of geographical boundaries and make it
easier, not more difficult, for talent to go where it is
wanted or needed.
Elizabeth Yin
Create an ecosystem with funding: e.g. encourage/
incentivize investors/mentors from other places to come
and see top notch startup teams & educate local wealthy
people on how to angel invest. Make it easy for foreigners
who want to start companies to stay (e.g. startup visas)
Tamas Locher
I believe the key to certain positive dynamics is critical
mass. To achieve that we need to pick certain areas in
each economic region. The best way the state can lead
this selection is by building outstanding universities
that attract talent worldwide.
To attract talent worldwide, a multicultural surround-
ing plus a very transparent visa application process is
indispensable.
Jared Goralnick
Better economic vehicles for investment, corporate
taxes, and payroll. The United States does a mediocre
but passable job here, but countries like Brazil and
Argentina make it almost impossible to run a startup as
there are so many economic barriers. More laissez faire
and longterm oriented policies would go a long way to
incentivize investment in innovation.
Felix Miller
Immigration law is always a political red cloth. but the
current system does not help innovation. For most really
innovative ideas there is only a few handful of the right
people around the world. Not all nations can provide
everybody a company needs. So movement of people
needs to be assured. For a startup every day counts
so the sooner they can get the right people to work for
them the better. Later on, this groundwork will translate
into more jobs locally.
Jeff Bonforte, CEO, Xobni
For governments, the best way to promote innovation
is to provide the foundations: a fair, open marketplace;
educated consumers and workers; the rule of law, includ-
ing rational IP laws.
Paul Papadimitriou
Pouring money at the issue with endless grants only
ends up in creating more bureaucracy. Innovation is
fostered by freedom. And freedom translates into frame-
works that ease company building, fund raising, etc.
Let the people create and get out
of the way. And, most importantly,
make it easier for people to fail.
What are the best strategies for
creating innovative ecosystems
and clusters?
What are the best strategies for creating
innovative ecosystems and clusters?

Teresa Lunt, Xerox PARC Tamas Locher

The movement of people among various players in
the ecosystem facilitates the exchange of ideas and
cross-fertilization of communities in the ecosystem.
Strategies that help this could be government policies
that protect pensions and retirement plans as people
move among companies, as well as policies that foster
competition and diversity in hiring and promotion as
opposed to seniority and loyalty.
Chris McCann
Look at initiatives like Startup Weekend, Global En-
trepreneurship Week, Startup Chile, AngelList, and
TechStars. Encourage the private sector to take these
things up.
Jared Goralnick
Anything that fosters communi-cation and collabora-
tion while mitigating the stigmas and real risks of
trying something new. Business districts are helpful
but regularly occurring events and incentives to give
back to the community after successful exits are
equally valuable.
The only thing states can do is
to invest into education. The rest
should be organized by the market.
Francine Hardaway
How about trying to spend on education rather than
military might, and on basic research. Exchange pro-
grams would be a powerful way to bring talent where it
is needed.
Paul Papadimitriou
No regulation, only facilitation.
Fast-track whatever infrastructure work —those fiber
optic cables for instance— and regulation reforms —es-
pecially financial and labor-law related. Competition is
the blood of innovation. Governments should know that.
They have their lives on the line at every election. Life
is about taking risks. Only when one understands that,
can one grasp what innovation is about.

Steve Blank
Outward facing universities that reward professors and
grad students for entrepreneurial activities outside the
university.
Foster and attract non-governmental Risk Capital.
Foster and attract entrepreneurs.

Elizabeth Yin
Once you create a startup eco-system, your top startups
that exit keep the mentorship/funding going. You have to
seed it initially: incentivize outside mentors and inves-
tors to travel and provide long-distance mentorship to
the top teams you do have.
Broadband, booming data,
video, the explosion of cloud
computing, storage. What’s
next for the internet?

Mobile Internet: How is mobile

transforming commerce now, and
what will happen in the future?
Broadband, booming data, video, the explosion of
cloud computing, storage. What’s next for the ’net?
Jared Goralnick
Technology that helps us to be better people. Societal
levers aren’t unique to government agencies — technol-
ogy can make positive change happen, too.
Felix Miller
Most of the last 2 decades was focused on making ever
more content or forms to interact available online. Avail-
able content is mushrooming but there is not enough
focus on how to make sense of all this. The internet
currently tends towards monopolies due to a lack of
navigability of offerings from smaller providers. Some
disruption needs to happen to make sense of it all again.
Matt Firth
Replacing the desktop and the
local hard drive altogether as
people work, talk and play solely
online.
All content becomes globally accessible and shareable.
The first wave of these devices has already started to
emerge.
Mobile Internet: How is mobile transforming com-
merce now, and what will happen in the future?
Hiroshi Asaeda
the whole world will be like
In the future,
Japan today.
Benjamin Joffe
Sophisticated mobile usage is being made possible with
widespread 3G, smartphones and cheap data plans.
Along with social networks, online shopping is one of
the key services that are benefitting widely from this,
as illustrated by the growth of eBay’s mobile sales and
the huge Japanese mobile commerce market since
3G boomed years ago. Mobile, and location are both
expected to have a huge impact for impulse purchases
and commerce at large.
Hironori Maeda
Mobile is making it easier for businesses to reach cus-
tomers, and allowing consumers to purchase products
from anywhere. Mobile devices carry huge amounts of
personal information such as contacts, location, and
conversations. Companies can utilize this information to
optimize consumer experience.
Daniel Lewington
Now - just pick up an Android or Apple handset and
start using it. In the near future, NFC and low-power
bluetooth could transform the retail experience, and
increased network speeds and better payment mecha-
nisms could change online purchasing and media
consumption
The Net and the Media: What
is the future of media in a
digital society?

How do you create and

maintain trust in a world
of booming data?
The Net and the Media: What is the future of
media in a digital society?
Felix Miller, Founder Last.fm
Broadly speaking the media is people professionally cre-
ating content. Professional media has long come under
pressure from amateurs pushing into their domain. And
now the lines are blurring. Professional content will play
an important role, but has to keep up with development.
Mike Williams
The future is not really about the way we consume
media, but more about how we connect to other people
in our physical environment in real time and for what
purpose. I’m interested in how this technology can
engage people, in an everyday real way, with the serious
and major issues of our modern society, and particu-
larly mega cities.
Matt Firth, Freelance Creative Director, LBi
The gradual coming together of
all media formats to form one
common digital language or
stream.
The boundaries between formats are constantly mov-
ing and blurring and more formats start to overlap. For
those involved in the production of content, it means a
return to the values of a jack of all trades rather than
the specialist. The premium is not technical expertise
or tools. It’s ideas.
Takahito Iguchi, Sekai Camera
I believe we’ll see a major paradigm shift through the
2010s where the PC and Web eras will integrate with
the mobile and real worlds. The thinking of the near
future will be a digital society where the connections
between people and people, people and things, and
people to their communities are more direct.
How do you create and maintain trust in a world of
booming data?
Jeff Bonforte, CEO, Xobni
One of the fundamental components of technology
advancement is the collection of more data. It is inevi-
table, necessary and desired. The best way to encourage
responsible use of data is to require transparency and
audit-ability.
Cory Doctorow
Start by treating the Internet’s
openness as a feature, not a bug.
Match deed to rhetoric. Eschew bulk surveillance. Don’t
decry Middle Eastern censorship and then embrace
it at home in the name of fighting terror or defending
copyright.
Mike Williams
I don’t trust governments with my data. You can always
expect them to do something nasty with it. I fear the
day when the existing ability to connect live video feeds
and facial recognition with medical, education and
police data becomes easy, global and interconnected for
authorities. It’s not a world I will easily understand or be
comfortable in - I wonder how we ordinary people will
adapt to it.
Rahaf Harfoush
We need to ensure that people are better protected
online. We need clear guidelines for companies to ensure
they are completely transparent with the data they are
gathering and for what purpose and to be assured that
our data is safe.  Instances of Cyberbullying and other
malicious uses of the web are increasing and our laws
are lagging behind. In particular, protection of minors
against these types of acts need to be put in place. This
is a very sensitive and complex issue as it also touches
on our freedom of speech and right to anonymity. So by
the same token we also need to ensure that people have
the right to speak their minds, even if they are voicing
opinions we don’t agree with.
If you could give the G8 leaders
one piece of actionable advice
about the Internet, technology
and innovation, what would it be?
If you could give the G8 leaders one piece of actionable advice about the Internet, technology
and innovation, what would it be?
Wenceslao Casares
The internet was able to have the major impact it has
had in a short period of time in no small part because it
was outside what goverments where looking to dictate
and regulate. The more open it remains the more in-
novation we will see.
Teresa Lunt, Xerox PARC
Keeping the internet and ecosystems open, by not al-
lowing individual players to occupy controlling positions
in the ecosystem, is critical to enable the greatest num-
ber of new ideas, technologies, and companies to enter
the game and be tested in the market on their merits.
Hironori Maeda
The neutrality and the sharing economy of the Inter-
net drives a lot of innovation. Some of the most innova-
tive companies in the world (ie. Facebook, Twitter, etc)
are built on top of open source technology. It is impor-
tant to support and endorse the openness, the sharing
economy, and entrepreneurship. By supporting innova-
tion you are allowing entrepreneurs to create more jobs,
which will support your nation’s economy in the end.
Matt Firth
Stop wasting time and money on legislation to protect
corporations and give more support to the entrepre-
neur. The internet is fertile ground for global commerce,
creativity and ideas that can revitalise failing economies
that rely on outdated trading models.
Mike Williams
Treat connectivity as a critical goal
for the future of the planet.
Not something we should expect or leave to traditional
telecoms companies to either seek, implement or under-
stand. Leaders should focus on the tangible long term
infrastructure components they can actually influence
in a goal to create an environment that fosters innova-
tion. e.g. Education, research funding, access to entre-
preneurial funding etc.
Felix Miller
Make sure you know what’s going on.
Osuke Honda, DCM
The Internet needs to remain open. Language is a
hard enough barrier to break down; corporations and
countries should not make innovation more difficult
by overly controlling and censoring the web beyond
reasonable protections for public safety. The last thing
we want is a collection of fragmented and impermeable
walled gardens.
This may be counter to traditional notions of
sovereignty, but leaders must make a commitment
to protecting the internet as a global public good for
the benefit of global and national economies alike. It
would be great to see an international treaty that show
the commitment of nations to an open, innovative,
and accountable Internet.
Jared Goralnick
Online innovation is across borders and cultures, so it
needs a fresh perspective if they want their nation to
succeed. The old import and export rules and tax codes
can’t apply if they want to be a hotbed for innovation.
Takahito Iguchi, Sekai Camera
With digital networks connecting to and expanding the
Internet, the way we communicate and the communi-
ties we communicate with will be impacted greatly.
Which means we will definitely see a large effect on the
social system and public values. Review our education
system to make it more open to change.
Elizabeth Yin
Startup visa!
Daniel Lewington
Don’t screw up on Net Neutrality. Have some guts and
put humanity before commercial greed.
If you could give the G8 leaders one piece of actionable advice about the Internet, technology
and innovation, what would it be?

Benjamin Joffe
Let a thousand flowers bloom :-)

Realize that Internet and mobile

are not just an industry, it is a
basic infrastructure for business
and life.
Personally I might rather have very high-speed Internet
than hot water, a private bathroom and central heating.
Realize that “broadband” and “3G” are not the end of the
road, they are just milestones for a never-ending journey
to a digital future.

Cory Doctorow
Start over. Obama, your election was made possible
by the net, and here you are playing games like ICE
domain confiscations, TPP negotiations and so forth.
Harper, Canadians can only be thankful that none of
your copyright bills made it to Parliament. Cameron,
you’ve talked about transparency and the open net,
but what you’ve delivered is more toadying to EMI and
IFPI. Practically to a one, the G8 has been a threat to
the net.

Tamas Locher
Consider changes driven by the internet always as
opportunities. The internet and the mechanics that rely
upon the internet will always win.

Dave McClure
Use the web! Don’t make policy without being a user.
Figure out what to do from people who know
The majority of internet users
do not use English as their main
language, and new internet
users are dramatically increasing
in China, the Middle East and
South America. How should G8
leaders react?
The majority of internet users do not use English as their main language, and new internet users are
dramatically increasing in China, the Middle East and South America. How should G8 leaders react?
Wenceslao Casares
Eliminate barriers that made sense
in the world of trading physical
goods but that hinder commerce
and prosperity in an age of trading
in information and digital goods.
Takahito Iguchi, Sekai Camera
The effect of the internet on the real world is ever in-
creasing, and within that so will the clout of the broader
software culture in the future. While leveraging the inher-
ent value of the power of individual cultures, we must
continue to make an effort to connect to the global
economy.
Jeff Bonforte
Reduce barriers of trade and markets between countries.
Rational immigration laws for high quality, educated
workforce and international IP.
Benjamin Joffe
There are more Chinese Internet users already than US
citizens, and most Westerners have no idea on what is
going on there.
In a few years, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil and
many other countries with massive populations will be
online. Many of them will read what is on the English-
language web, and Westerners may be totally ignorant
of the rest of the world, and be at a huge cognitive dis-
advantage for knowledge, competition and innovation.
Osuke Honda, DCM
Embrace it of course!
There are forces inherent to the Internet that will not
only improve the lives of millions, but also create vast
economic benefit for those that are successful. Nations
must work hard to make sure that the flow of media,
services and money remains well lubricated and well
accounted for.
Language education will be a key long-term strat-
egy. Translation and localization at scale will solve more
immediate problems. Creating domestic and interna-
tional corporate legal frameworks that govern Inter-
net companies, will be vital to not only the growth of
the sector, but to the harvesting of those gains by the
people and its governments.
Hiroshi Asaeda
English will still be a universal language, but people will
keep their identity and dignity in their own country and
language.
Felix Miller
Europe has already missed out on a very fruitful decade
and is coming late to the party. Other countries get to
the start positions quicker. Freedom of operation ben-
efits innovation in an environment where a few months
can make all the difference. Europe still thinks in slow,
industrial time-frames. The online world moves fast!
Aki Sano
Relax immigration policies. Otherwise great ideas and
valuable information will be taken away.
By meeting new people and experiencing new
cultures and countries, we learn to recognize and un-
derstand others’ values, which will ultimately bridge lan-
guage barriers and create sound, growing relationships.
Hironori Maeda
Even though many Asian markets are growing very
quickly, I believe it is going to be difficult for them to
become a hub of innovation because of the lack of neu-
trality and sharing economy.
Hiroko Tabuchi
Good ideas translate across cultures: just look at how
much the Japanese have embraced Twitter. In today’s
world, a good idea is one that’s shared with the rest of
the world. When you have a good idea, it’s no longer
enough to think in just one language.
Dave McClure
Understand the spread of global languages, and the
major segments. English, Mandarin, Spanish and
Arabic will be the focus of the web. An interchange of
cultures around those languages is really interesting.
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