Why is our technological innovation so far away from black technology? (Turn)
text / crooked road
On October 17, Beijing time, the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft was successfully launched. It is reported that the two astronauts will stay in space for 30 days and rendezvous with Tiangong-2, bringing China one step closer to building the first international space station. Some foreign media believe that "China plans to complete the construction of an independent space station in 2022, which is likely to be the only space station in space after the International Space Station reaches its expiration date in 2024. This means that China is moving towards a 'cosmic power'. "
Although this kind of news is encouraging, there is an embarrassing situation. Throughout the domestic Internet technology circle, there are almost only a handful of technology companies that really have the ability to create cutting-edge technologies. Some people say that foreign mainstream technology companies are studying how to change the cutting-edge technology of mankind, but we are still studying how to please users, how to bid for ranking, and how to run points. Although this is exaggerated, we can indeed see that compared with the keen technology research of foreign Internet technology giants, we prefer to sell mobile phones and chase the wind, and regard it as an important strategy in the mobile Internet era.
Domestic and foreign technology companies are forming an awkward contrast
A few days ago, Musk eloquently explained his Mars immigration plan at the IAC, vowing to send humans to a new planet. The $200 million Amos-6 communication satellite that Zuckerberg blew up recently is his ambition to cover the entire Africa with broadband services; and Google is also deploying AI, quantum computers, space elevators, etc. A new round of technological competition. In fact, none of these super technology giants has reached the present day by selling mobile phones across borders.
Teleportation, space immigration, global interconnection, we always think that it is out of reach, and we always think that this should be done with the power of the whole country. Who knows that foreign corporate giants have already moved from looking up at the stars to stepping into the galaxy, and we still In the market of food, clothing, housing and transportation, intrigue, chasing fame and fortune. A cool press conference has become the biggest talk in the technology circle every day, and the same configuration is used as a story of innovation, which has become the driving force for the influx of capital. In addition, what I feel is more exaggeration of business logic.
It is reported that Juhuasuan, an e-commerce company under Alibaba, will join forces with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and the China Aerospace Museum to launch the world’s first e-commerce satellite, Juhuasuan, in 2017. This is a very bold attempt and the first among the three parties. Combining the Internet and aerospace, jointly explore innovative projects including rocket shedding material customization, space agriculture and other innovative projects, to find more diversified commercial application space for China's aerospace technology, and to shorten the distance between ordinary people and aerospace technology. But in fact, this is a marketing that hype means more than technology development. This cooperation may have shortened the distance between aliens and Ali. Because their purpose is to issue a "Shopping to Earth" initiative to aliens.
Of course, Alibaba may become a leader in the field of cloud computing, shining brightly in the current era of big data. While Baidu's transformation of artificial intelligence may come from behind and apply it to many fields, Tencent may rely on many users to develop its unique advantages in the VR industry. However, it is undeniable that in the highly forward-looking technology field, domestic business giants are rarely involved. Why do we have the ability to innovate beyond the framework of the Western business model? Why do we always try to use innovation on the road of Western learning Cover up the essence of foreign? The blue is better than the blue, and the ice is colder than the water. When will we be truly powerful in technological innovation? After all, we should have a lot more to do than commercialize.
Initial success of imitation leads to insufficient innovation momentum
It is mentioned in "Fifteen Years Boiling" that every small innovation of the Internet in the United States will be learned, referenced and even imitated and followed by someone on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. This even formed a set of conventional success paths: learn the most successful business model in the United States at the fastest speed, quickly localize, win users, gain income, and then go public in the U.S. capital market, and then develop after financing. , in order to form its own unique innovation. In this way, the business model started by imitation became popular in the initial development stage of the Internet and became the internal driving force to promote the entire Internet industry.
Tencent's earliest killer QQ is an imitation of ICQ, Sohu's counterpart is Yahoo, Baidu's borrowing from Google's rise, and there are countless similar examples. Because the earliest batch of Internet entrepreneurs are in the stage of newly introduced new things, it is understandable to learn from and imitate. It is precisely because of the shortcut they created that greatly promotes the pace of development of the Internet industry, and it is this link that connects the information between the United States and China. Green Channels broaden our global horizons, enabling startups to ride the wave of the Internet.
But after more than 20 years, we still seem to be in the stage of imitative innovation. In recent years, the Internet outlets that have caused storms and storms are almost without exception based on imitation, and Silicon Valley has also become a pilgrimage site for domestic Internet technology companies. Fortunately, this successful path can still shine in the local area. However, when imitation becomes a habit, the impetus for innovation seems to be fading a little bit.
Zhou Hongyi once said in a speech that when comparing the Internet in China with the Internet in the United States, the biggest gap is the lack of innovation vitality. Although there are many excellent entrepreneurs in China, innovation is not supported by openness, and there is not enough traffic and users. Many innovative projects and emerging startups may fail in the competition.
Therefore, due to the influence of the domestic entrepreneurial environment and the high risk of innovation, imitation and borrowing seem to be the safest way. Whenever a new company is born in Silicon Valley, the makers in Zhongguancun are always eager to hear the news.
If there is a way but no art, art can still be sought; if there is art but no way, it ends at art. It is always a technique to directly copy the advanced products and business models of the United States. The technique depends on the potential and will bring about rapid progress in the short term. To achieve a turning-style breakthrough and leap. The real Tao is how to "plagiarize" the spirit of openness and innovation, the driving force behind the development of the Internet in the United States, and then apply it to China, so that the public knows how to start a business and how to innovate.
Many internal and external factors restricting innovation need to be solved urgently
Although imitation will kill the power of innovation, there is more than one source of power. The innovation environment and innovative ideas are both essential factors. However, the reality is that the domestic innovation environment and the innovation quality of enterprises also need to be improved.
Although we have been committed to integrating the concept of "science and technology is the primary productive force" into the whole society, and made various slogans early to try to create a good atmosphere of "mass innovation and entrepreneurship", the reality is that this big dye vat is always dragged from all sides. The hind legs of innovation: Fundamental investment in technological innovation of enterprises is often superficial for various reasons; there are deviations in the implementation of guarantees such as technological innovation risk guarantees and preferential tax policies; the gap in intellectual copyright protection seriously affects the enthusiasm of enterprises for innovation. True innovation faces no small challenge.
As we all know, enterprises cannot develop independently of the social economy and background at any time and anywhere. At present, the field of scientific and technological innovation in the whole society is still in the initial stage. The sooner these problems are solved, the better for innovation. Otherwise, it is difficult to say that domestic technology companies can carry out real innovation.
Excluding the general environment, compared with foreign technology companies, most domestic companies pursue scale and profit, and it is often difficult to be impressed by the initial investment in innovation and the invisible profit prospects. Therefore, the interior does not provide an environment and atmosphere that is more likely to breed innovation.
Dave Killard, president of Google's enterprise division, said: "What makes Google special is that its innovative atmosphere has not weakened in the slightest since its inception, which is attractive to every young person." Google strives to shape the innovation environment. , stimulate the innovation ability of employees. To encourage innovation, employees can spend 20% of their work time doing things other than their jobs. And the boss won't ask what they are doing.
This way of working is rarely seen in domestic Internet companies. Most domestic companies generally have clear goals in research and development. Employees at all levels perform their duties according to the subdivided goals, and are exhausted every day to complete KPIs. They think this is the most efficient, but it wastes the company's greatest resource - the free creative power of its employees. Innovation based on the company's business is still difficult, not to mention the higher "black technology".
Deep-rooted pragmatism makes innovation difficult
Domestic technology companies often have such a concept, that is, the technology Internet is only a tool for making money.
Therefore, many companies born in the Internet technology circle have been "wanting to make money" companies from the first day, and some have indeed made money. Alibaba's business empire, Tencent's social entertainment, and Baidu's mobile search have penetrated into every aspect of life, not only changing our way of life, but also enriching ourselves.
Today, the smartphone market is surging, and major Internet companies are rushing in one after another, painstakingly improving the performance of mobile phones, all of which are entirely based on the hunger and thirst for the trillion-dollar market, eager to reach into the user's wallet. And when the commercial interests have been achieved, how to expand the profits is the unanimous goal of the enterprise. Who would think about the dream of changing the world only when they were children?
Looking at the root of these problems, perhaps traditional pragmatism is at work.
We have always liked to ask "what's the use" questions, and we are willing to use practical value as a driving force for something, for a long time, even ingrained. The same is true of the current business model of the Internet. The initial steps of start-ups are how to make their own projects or project stories valuable, and then raise funds. Moreover, this value must be able to allow investors to see the benefits. , the two trade on the basis of "usefulness", and until the end, they also use income as a measure of success. Therefore, from the very beginning, I wanted to obtain commercial interests, and the products or services I made were initially limited to the interests of potential investors. Even if the development was relatively successful, it would be difficult for the company to expand beyond the established business scope due to its established genes. On the basis of outsiders, devote themselves to unheard of deep innovation projects.
On the contrary, there are many sources of innovation power in the United States, such as love, ambition, curiosity and even vanity. The world knows Zuckerberg's reason for creating Facebook: to pick up girls. If it does not succeed, it will inevitably become a negative teaching material for many domestic technology companies. In fact, no matter whether it is successful or not, it is completely personal freedom, and it is this freedom to think what others don’t want and give birth to new things. Even if you fail, it doesn’t mean you should be laughed at.
Our pragmatism is often aimed at the most immediate things that can be tightly grasped in our hands. Many scientific and technological achievements over the years have been limited to this, and there are very few systematic and in-depth studies on principles and laws. Even the most successful BAT has not devoted itself to the commercial no-man’s land of major technological innovation. After all, this field requires a lot of investment, takes a long time, and even the benefits may be far away. Since it has a faster and more convenient profit model, why should it be necessary to engage in futuristic innovation projects? This is also the common idea of most companies.
The genes of domestic giants limit the innovation ability of the technology circle
Internet technology is in the ascendant, O2O, live broadcast, short video and other outlets are in succession. After competing, either mergers or acquisitions or joins backers, and in the end, business giants often become the biggest winners. At present, the turbulence of the entire Internet is always more or less inextricably linked with BAT.
The biggest advantage of BAT is capital and traffic. This feature has led to the transformation of traditional business to become what they are best at. Therefore, domestic emerging technology companies will more or less rely on the investment of these companies, which naturally forms a situation in which the domestic technology circle is keen to transform traditional industries.
Because business giants are often the representatives of capital and strength, they bring together a wealth of talents, funds and contacts in the society, and emerging companies mostly rely on their investment to survive. Naturally, they will move closer to them in the selection of projects. The method is difficult and slow to achieve results, which leads to the worship of imitation to a certain extent, and innovation is limited to the business model level.
Although the business empire built by Jack Ma has begun to spread to film and television, music, and cloud computing, Alibaba's mainstream businesses are still finance, payment, e-commerce, etc. Although Baidu has begun to promote itself as a technology company, it has carried out driverless cars. , but traditional search is still its most important core business. Although Tencent has a soft spot for linking everything, a large number of user groups are still its core assets and development power. There is no doubt that the most mainstream products of these three giants are closely related to life and entertainment.
Like the difference between science fiction, they can only be said to be soft technology companies, not hard technology companies in the true sense, so the need for technological innovation and future experiments is not urgent. This has to do with the social environment, but also with their own choices. As a giant in the Internet technology circle, BAT has made outstanding contributions to the commercialization of the Internet, but it limits the innovation of the entire technology circle to a certain extent.
We are always happy to instill our goals and slogans on the masses before reform or innovation, trying to create an atmosphere that makes us think we are on the road, and expect everyone to put it into practice, this top-down approach will not Consider whether the bottom layer has the appropriate resources and qualities to join the process. When business giants monopolize most of the resources and invest them in traditional industries, we can give birth to business leaders and legends, but it is difficult to give birth to a technology giant or even leader with hard technology strength.
The improvement and loss of innovation ability is the ultimate criterion for judging the prosperity and decline of science and technology. Maybe our technology development time is too short, and now everything is dormant is waiting before spring. However, in this waiting, we should also be prepared, instead of waiting silently, and feel at ease, even complacent.