Lack of Ph Ds threat to IT industry

Microsoft MD Ravi Venkatesan thinks the shortage of computer science Ph Ds threatens the future of the IT industry, FT reports. I was taken aback at the figure mentioned in the report- just 35 Phds in a year in India compared to 1000 in the US !

“It’s an incredibly urgent and important issue,” Ravi Venkatesan told the Financial Times. “It affects the pipeline of future talent because the teaching institutions aren’t getting enough qualified faculty and, of course, if you really want to do cutting edge innovation in computer science, you’re restricted by the pool of talent out there.”

While Indian companies have until now relied on the difference between Indian wages and those in developed markets to attract business, the strategy is not sustainable, Mr Venkatesan said.

“It’s inevitably a matter of time before these wage disparities disappear and the only thing that’s going to matter is the quality of ideas coming out of an employee,” Mr Venkatesan said.