BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A visit to China's capital and innovation hub in Beijing has spooked Silicon Valley insider Cyriac Roeding. He says that in 10 years Beijing may become the next center of global innovation.
Roeding said in an article that he sat down with billionaire startup executives as well as seed level entrepreneurs while in Beijing on a recent trip and was astounded by the pragmatism, motivation and innovative thinking in the Chinese tech industry.
Chinese companies usually ran a 9/9/6 schedule, meaning their staff work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, while founders and top executives often put in 9/11/6.5, on average higher than their U.S. counterparts.
The myth that all Chinese companies do is copy is no longer true, as Chinese entrepreneurs have found there are less and less successful ideas to be copied and copying often does not mean acceptance by Chinese consumers. That's why innovation is being increasingly emphasized and home-grown startups have begun to take center stage.
The conclusion Roeding reached was an easy one: Beijing will be the only true competitor to Silicon Valley in the next 10 years.
