Where is Russia’s Steve Jobs?

Steve Jobs, the architect of Apple’s phenomenal success and one of the biggest influences on the business of modern computing, died of pancreatic cancer Wednesday. He was 56.

As the world ponders Jobs’ legacy, it is perhaps worth asking if an innovator and businessman like him could succeed in Russia. On balance, it would seem unlikely – given Russia’s stifling bureaucracy, slow trajectory toward innovation and poor record on hightech investment.

Jobs, adopted into an Armenian family in California, had no insider connections and no education at a top university. Quite the opposite: his background was one of the hippy counterculture, and he described his time in an ashram in India, including LSD experiences, as “one of the two or three most important things” he did in his life.

His big business break came from an angel investor, but not one who was in the mainstream. Billionaire Ross Perot, who invested heavily in Jobs’ NeXT Computer business in the 1980s, has been a persistent thorn in the side of the Republican and Democrat parties – standing as an independent candidate in presidential elections and denouncing the incestuous two-party status quo.

So to make the analogy with Russia, it would have been as if he had been bankrolled by Mikhail Khodorkovsky or Yevgeny Chichvarkin. And we all know what happened there.

There remains a chance for Russia to produce innovators of Jobs’ stature, it is true. The Skolkovo innovation project could yet provide the spark needed to kick-start new high-tech projects, but the danger is that under bureaucratic state control anyone in the Steve Jobs mold would quickly be stifled, corrupted or simply emigrate to another country with a climate more conducive to invention and new thinking.

As the examples of Google’s Sergey Brin and other émigrés have shown, the new generation of Russians will almost certainly be at the forefront of global innovation in the years ahead. The question is, however: Will they pursue their dreams here in Russia, or abroad?

For Russia to retain its best and brightest talents does not just mean far more investment in high-tech education. It also requires a sea change in the way the authorities encourage innovation and diversity – without crippling bureaucracy.

Ex. 1. Choose the best adverbs or adjectives for each sentence.

1. Sales shot up slowly/slightly/dramatically and surpassed all our expectations.

2. The coverage rate decreased significantly/ slightly/steadily by 10% every year.

3. These was a huge/ slight/ significant rise in price from $ 0.75 to $ 0.95.

4. The marketing department has grown considerably/ gradually/ slowly in the last three years and doubled in size.

5. A fast/ gradual/ insignificant rise in a raw material prices has slowly but surely eroded our margin.

6. Up to now we have ignored the slight/steady/rapid growth in the sector but the growth is so fast that we cannot continue to do this.

7. There was a sharp/ gradual/fast and noticeable jump in wastage in very short time.

8. The online marketing are dropping slightly/substantially/ significantly. However, the decline is so small that we shouldn’t include it in the final figures.

Ex.2. Match and discuss the expressions below.

Dutch treat money earned quickly and easily (dishonestly)

face value something where each person pays their own share

hand to mouth be a thief

fast buck not have much money

hard up having only enough money for basic living

have sticky fingers the worth/ price printed on bond or paper money etc.

B.1. We went to the movie as a Dutch treat so it didn't cost me much money. 2.The face value of the stamp was very low but in reality it was worth a lot of money. 3. The company tried to make a fast buck on the property but they actually lost a lot of money. 4. My friend has been living from hand to mouth since he lost his job. 5. His brother is hard up for money and always wants to borrow some. 6. The new employee has sticky fingers and many things in the store have disappeared.

Ex.3. Insert the appropriate words.

1. The takeover process is often described in terms of one animal hunting another: a company or individual seeking to take over another company may be referred to as ... and the target company as ... .

2. Predators are also referred to as ... .

3.An organization that has undergone process of ... is ... and its hierarchy flat.

4. Organizations say that they are eliminating middle levels of their hierarchies so as to ... ordinary employees.

5.... is when a company helps people it is making redundant find new jobs in other organizations.