Schwarzenegger's trip to China a sham?
Updated
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| Anold |
Great comments, in general, Michael. But we have nit with your criticism of Anold's pitching for deeper U.S.-China business ties.
On Day Two of the Arnold Express, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, he brandished a solar chip marketed by SunPower Corp. of Sunnyvale, observing that it had been designed in California and manufactured in China. He called it "a symbol of unlimited potential that we can realize" (presumably together).
...Reading between the lines, that sounds like expansion of SunPower䴜s business will produce a handful of jobs in Sunnyvale, and hundreds or thousands in China. Is this a good deal for us?
Ok, sure, but this as an old question, and thought we'd...
moved beyond it. If SunPower can't keep its costs down, via manufacturing in cheaper places like China and Philippines, it can't survive economically, and then there are no jobs in Sunnyvale, right?
(UPDATE: And in solar, cost is a big deal. Here's a post by Rob Day, who comments on SunPower's IPO yesterday. Its stock price shot up by more than 40 percent.)
By the way, we (Matt, at least) are headed over to Shanghai next week to see what all this hype is about. I hope to blog a bit over there, so hopefully late-night bouts with energetic Chinese entrepreneurs won't produce debilitating hangovers. Will probably be light posting.
UPDATE II: Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is seriously considering running for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor next year, according to WSJ.
http://www.siliconbeat.com/cgi-bin/mt331/mt-tb.cgi/894
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Also need to point out is that China has a growing domestic market for solar technologies. So having manufacturing in China is not only operation no-brainer but also strategic sounding. It will for sure drive down solar costs and encourage more innovations, which is the strength of SV, in this field.
David Gong on November 18, 2005 11:36 AMComment link
Don't forget the tax money that gets generated in addition to the American jobs.
Joe Random on November 19, 2005 1:03 AMComment link
If SunPower is doing well, lots of direct and indirect jobs will be created. Like in management, marketing, advertising, engineering, office support, customer service, banking and financial.
Also good for health care providers, nearby restaurants and too many in local community.
The company, its investors and shareholders will have more profits and confidence to spend on engineering and other high-tech ventures.
If SunPower fails, everybody mentioned above will lose. Only the bankruptcy lawyers win. Maybe rivals from Japan or Europe who find ways to make the chip competitive.
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Oh for God's sake. Haven't any of these idiots heard of comparative advantage?
Beard Stroker on November 27, 2005 10:28 AMComment link
