A client: “Ndubuisi, where do you see public sector opportunities in markets for tech?”
My response, summarized: I noted that companies which can execute and implement national firewalls like the Great Firewall of China will see growth in the next few months and years.
My postulation is based on the great corporate sanctions in Russia where many US and European tech firms are phasing out from Russia. I do think that Google, Mastercard, Facebook* and others, while doing a noble thing by protesting over the invasion of Ukraine, have also provided strong reasons to many countries to look for alternatives.
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I expect India, Brazil and many other countries to visit China and ask for the code and playbook which it used to build the Great Firewall of China. Simply, you may not have to rely on non-national companies, and alternatives would be critical.
In other words, the corporate sanctions against Russia would be interpreted by many national security committees, and many will see what China has done for ages from a different angle now. Yes, China censors at the national level while the US does so using private companies like Facebook and Google which continue to limit “enemy” content. For example, Facebook has taken down Russia’s news channels.
People, this conflict will rewire the world order! Indeed, unlike government sanctions, private companies are willingly disconnecting from Russia even when no one asked them to. So, some countries will pay attention to this novelty. Expect governments promoting local brands and those will offer public sector tech opportunities across the world.
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