Google Israel country manager Meir Brand says that international firms help Israeli companies reach global markets and bring their administrative standards, which are otherwise lacking here. He said that the local activity of international companies helps both sides.
Brand said, "A delegation of 25 Google marketing managers from all over the world recently visited us. They were amazed by Israeli consumers' adoption of technologies, and by the level of Israeli engineers."
Brand, however, also criticized government conduct as far as encouraging the activity of international corporations in Israel. "Israel has much to learn from Ireland in this regard," he said.
Brand was a panelist on global involvement in Israeli high-tech at an Israel Management Center conference today. Other panelists were Incubators Program director Rina Pridor and Oracle Israel managing director Moshe Horev.
Horev said, "In ten years time, Israel's attractive position in the world could be harmed." He added that rising development centers in India, China, and Eastern Europe were attracting particular attention and drawing resources that could keep the Israeli high-tech market attractive.
Horev said, "We're living in a bubble, as if our situation was very stable. Development skills in the Far East are less than ours, but not by much." He added that costs in these countries are much cheaper than Israel. "There's no reason for a multinational company to leave Israel, but to keep them, the government must make Israel more attractive in terms of taxes. It must invest more in higher education, and triple the budget of the Office of the Chief Scientist."
Horev summed up that if these conditions were met, there is no question that Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq:ORCL) would expand its activity in Israel and hire more people.
Pridor agreed with Horev, and said, "Every dollar that the government invests here can generate $15."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 5, 2007
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