Senators Clueless About Technology

-


Technology drives our lives but it has never been an election issue in both Canada and the U.S. It is seldom on the national stage. That is why Americans probably missed the news that might affect them.

Hong Kong. November 8. Reuters reported that ByteDance is offering to buy back shares from its employees outside the U.S. for $160 per share.

What is ByteDance? It’s the Chinese company that owns Tik Tok. Last December, the U.S. banned Tik Tok from cellphones, laptops and other devices used by government workers. Why? Because it believes China was extracting information it could use to put the United States of America in danger. ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared before Congress and U.S. Senate and denied the allegations.

American presidential elections have standard issues like the economy, taxes, immigration and abortion, but not technology. It is unfortunate because it is responsible for many problems. Workers lose jobs when one machine can do the work of ten men. Internet banking is technology. That’s why neighborhood branches have disappeared, a great inconvenience for senior citizens who prefer over-the-counter service. They are scared of online hackers. Are you having problems with your credit card? Call this toll free number. Somebody with an accent, in another part of the world answers the phone and guides you through your credit card history.

The youth continue to refuse to go to college, because of lucrative opportunities online. It's technology. Some succeed on YouTube and Tik Tok, others don’t.

There are many other reasons why technology should be an election issue. The Tik Tok ban is a foreign policy issue. The claim that China interferes in local elections of all countries that beg the U.S. for money is also political. There's no interference. They just echo His Master's Voice.

And as long as the U.S. ignores technology, it will continue to be a consumer, not an innovator. Now, let’s go back to the ByteDance news mentioned on top of this blog. What is buy back? I’m clueless, like most U.S. Senators.

“Buybacks allow employees to cash in shares without waiting for the company to list on the stock market.” That’s how the Reuters media release explained it.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Executive Blogger

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elections And Political Bullies

-
Image
Forget democracy.   It should be called political bullying. We are watching it in the prelude to the Canadian election on the 19 th of October, 2015.   Americans have also started their political bullying for the looming presidential election next year. So many trees wasted on books about democracy.   Some countries have big budgets for invading other countries ‘ to defend democracy’ but it is seldom practised in campaigning for elections.   Calling opponents names and printing flyers attacking each other is behaviour that will not be tolerated in kindergarten, but it is all legal, in campaigning.   It is irritating and such a let-down to the whole notion of democracy.   Grown-up men and women behaving like Grade One kids. It is also misleading because many voters believe it is real hatred.   Don’t let that fool you.   These politicians play golf together, attend the same dinner parties, eat and drink at the same social events, share jokes and cut deals in parliament.   They
Read more

Comfort Food As Regret Food

-
Image
Chicken curry. Comfort food is good for the soul, which usually bleeds in winter from icy roads, bad drivers that want to annihilate pedestrians, frozen fingers and toes that take a sabbatical.   What happened to my toes?   I thought I was wearing special socks for boots? We therefore have a right to comfort food which throws doctors’ orders out of the window and has no loyalty to calories.   No calculator on the table, thanks very much.   Piece of bread 5 calories, half a banana 10 calories, sugar-free cheesecake 2,000 calories.   Ah! Ah!  We only live once. Naw!   Comfort food is old school food with its compulsory second helping.   It involves licking fingers and giving a big sigh, about the good life, which is shelter, food, love and debt.   The problem is the zip.   The jeans remind you that comfort food can also be called you will regret food .   Home sweet home is even sweeter in winter after surviving blowing snow and bumper to bumper traffic. What is more welcoming th
Read more

No Air Miles

-
Image
I don’t have Air Miles.   I’m considering putting that on a T-Shirt because I cannot go to the drugstore (chemist) or coffee shop without the cashier asking me if I have air miles. We waited for about two minutes the other day, while this guy looked for his Air Miles card in his overweight wallet.   For what?   For a few points. I don’t have air miles because Mathematics is a foreign language.   I was never good in numbers. That is why I squashed the idea of being an investment banker very early in life.   I understand you can invest in cornfields before the soil is turned up or pork bellies even before a baby pig is born. That is how I view air miles, investing in tomorrow or the unknown.   I’m the dumb one.   Some people understand this air miles’ thing so well, I overheard one customer saying: I can even convert my points into cash. Points and air miles are the same thing in Canada and the U.S.   Drugstores or clothing stores even give you a card to collect point
Read more