For Intel, the business side of doing good
Monday, October 22, 2007
Former Stanford University professor turned technology executive, Craig Barrett believes that it’s the duty of every large company to give back to society in some way.
As chairman of Intel, the largest chipmaker in the world, he not only helps define the vision and strategy of Intel, but he is also working with world leaders as chairman of the United Nations’ Global Alliance for ICT and Development. In this role he acts as an ambassador of industry, helping to map out strategies for using technology in underdeveloped regions to improve education and health care, and spur economic growth.
Barrett is part of a new crop of Silicon Valley executives who believe that giving back to society is a key component of what they and their companies should be doing. But giving back and doing “good” aren’t always motivated by pure altruism, nor do their efforts manifest as pure philanthropy. Barrett, like others in the technology industry, see the billions of people living in the developing world as an untapped market of potential Internet users who could one day drive their businesses to new heights.
CNET News.com sat down recently with Barrett in New York, where he delivered a speech at the World Business Forum conference about how Intel is helping make the world a better place and how that work is also benefitting the company.
Q: You’ve been involved with the United Nations’ mission to bridge the global digital divide through the use of technology. In fact, you are the chairman of the U.N. Global Alliance for ICT (Information and Communications Technology). Why is it important for Intel to be involved in this initiative?
Barrett: The U.N. Global Alliance is reasonably aligned with Intel’s World Ahead program, which focuses on using technology as a tool to improve education, health care, economic development and e-governance. Those happen to be exactly the same objectives that the Global Alliance has as it goes into developing countries to aid them in their educational development, health care development and economic development.
The Internet and computers are tools. And the impact they make depends on how intelligently those tools are used. We believe that intelligent use of technology can make education better.Why specifically is Intel concerned with improving education or helping eliminate poverty? It’s not necessarily something that will help grow revenue.
Barrett: There are several reasons. One is we have been involved in education for decades, supporting education and teacher training in math and science for a long time with programs, such as the National Talent Search. For years we’ve been trying to promote math and science. And there are two reasons for that. One is it’s a philanthropic effort. So we’re giving something back. But it also helps our business. Our employees must be math and science literate. And if you look at the greater picture there are about a billion users of the Internet out there. So that is a billion potential Intel users who will need to be computer and Internet literate as well. There’s always some relationship back to the business, but it’s in parallel to our main philanthropic activity to improve education.
Do you think large corporations, in particular technology companies, have a responsibility to give back?
Barrett: I don’t think the question should be limited to technology companies. I think every company has some level of obligation to give something back to society and to be a good member of society. The tech companies may be good examples of this because we tend to operate all around the world and sell our products around the world. So that global view that we have may make us more likely to contribute on a global scale. But I don’t think this should be limited to technology companies. I think that a Boeing or Alcoa has the same sort of obligation.
How do you think the Internet and, more specifically, wireless broadband technologies such as WiMax can help reduce poverty around the world?
Barrett: The Internet and computers are tools. And the impact they make depends on how intelligently those tools are used. We believe that intelligent use of technology can make education better. You’d be hard-pressed not to say that using broadband wireless or some wireless technology and remote diagnostic equipment will not improve health care. You’d be hard-pressed not to say that bringing farmers in rural environments more information to help them figure out how to sell their products at a market themselves, and eliminate the middleman so they could keep more of the transaction value for themselves, doesn’t promote economic development. You’d be hard pressed to say that a kiosk in a small village or community in a remote part of the country that helps people remotely register or sign up for certain government programs rather than (them) traveling to the big city to do that, doesn’t offer a value.
So in areas of education, health care, economic development and e-governance, these benefits are no-brainers. But it has to be the intelligent use of technology and not just throwing any technology at the problem that makes a difference. I can guarantee you that a farmer in central China is not interested in reading about what’s happening on Wall Street. They aren’t interested in Silicon Valley content. They are interested in content which relates to them and solves the problems they have. So local content, meaningful content is the key to all of this.
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