The groundswell of opinion in the major developed economies seems to be indicating a significant trend that may reverse the fortunes of Asians in technology in the so-called developed countries. The recent European parliament elections revealed an anti-immigrant sentiment among the masses of the population. Radical parties have been elected in to power (albeit in their minority) with an anti-immigration agenda. Coupled with tighter controls on H1B visas in the USA (see “US work visa applications dry up”), it seems that both the innovators and hard workers in the technology industry are being relegated to countries that will simply ‘tolerate’ them.

Asians have a world-wide reputation for wanting to learn and use that learning to innovate or create wealth. While they may be able to learn at institutes in the USA and Europe where the free-thinking spirit is nurtured, these talents will undoubtedly – in the current mood – be transferred back to their home countries or others where there is greater tolerance.

In the article, “The search for the next Silicon Valley”, the author questions where the next Silicon Valley might appear. Many areas in Europe have been trying to emulate the Silicon Valley experience with very few successes – for example, mainly around some of the key semiconductor companies in the south of France and Munich, Germany. But one thing is for sure: the success of Silicon Valley in the USA did indeed occur partly due to the Asians (which includes Indians as well as those from the Far East) who had arrived to do their studies at the major institutes back in the 1950s and 1960s. They then went on and helped build some of the major corporates in the technology industry today.