Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:54:37 -0800 From: Norm Matloff Subject: Obama's cabinet picks As many of you know, though I'm a lifelong Democrat, I have not been happy with the party's nominees for the presidency in recent elections (nor have I liked the Republicans). And though I was quite pleased that an African-American won the election, and I find Obama to be an inspiring speaker, I don't think his promise for Change will be fulfilled. On the contrary, I'm thinking of the French saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Case in point is the first article enclosed below, which reports that Symantec CEO John Thompson may be Obama's choice for Sec. of Commerce. Talk about NON-change! Just a few minutes of Web browsing revealed a Thompson letter to a Symantec PAC, reported in a critical blog under the title, "US company Symantec using PAC to bypass campaign contribution limits 2008." I then found several articles showing that Symantec does a substantial--and apparently increasing--fraction of its R&D in India. Equally disturbing is the list of people pushing Thompson's candidacy. We find that Thompson was suggested to Obama by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Queen of H-1B, and he has enthusiastic support from the ITAA's Phillip Bond (who came to ITAA from the Dept. of Commerce). There's also Carl Guardino, one of the most outspoken advocates for increasing the H-1B cap. It's clear that they all expect Thompson to advance their agenda at DOC. Indeed, Bond's description of Thompson as "globally experienced" is very telling. The firm says about 30% of its engineers are in India, and last year Symantec opened a second R&D center there. (And no, this is not for the local market; it's for Symantec's core products. Details in the enclosures.) Meanwhile the front runner for Obama's new national CTO position is said to be Padmasree Warrior of Cisco Systems. Seems like Obama intends Business As Usual in his administration. Yes of course every major firm offshores, including R&D. And undoubtedly they all have private PACs like Symantec does. The point I was trying to make is that from my point of view Obama shouldn't be appointing a major tech CEO to the Commerce job in the first place. I've written before about the politicization of DOC in terms of H-1B. There have been some courageous researchers there who've done the right thing, but top officials have not always acted so nobly. For instance, DOC initially suppressed a report critical of offshoring, and then when pressured by Congress to release it, changed the contents. See http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/Archive/DOCReportFinallyReleased.txt Moreover, the article in that link notes that the same Phillip Bond who is now supporting Thompson for DOC chief was DOC Undersecretary for Technology at the time. He denied being involved in the rewriting of the report, but it does look fishy, especially since he subsequently became head of the ITAA lobbying group. So all these players have a nice cozy relationship. Yes, it's nothing new, but my point is that this isn't the Change that Obama has been promising. I must interject here that Hilda Solis, Obama's pick for Sec. of Labor, did say in her confirmation hearing that employers should do a better job of looking for Americans before hiring H-1Bs. (This was in response to a question from Sen. Johnny Isakson.) But she prefaced her remarks by conceding that she didn't know much about H-1B, and it was clear that she didn't know that (other than a minuscule exceptional category) H-1B law doesn't require recruiting Americans. Though some H-1B reform activists were excited by her remarks, I believe it means nothing. Once she gets educated (not least by the industry lobbyists), she'll be speaking the industry party line, "H-1Bs for now, better K-12 education for the future labor supply." Solis seems to be a decent person (I've followed her career a bit the last few years), but the reality is that she will be required to support the industry. Let's hope I'm wrong about these people. Norm Symantec's Thompson eyed for Obama posts By Pete Carey San Jose Mercury News Posted: 01/16/2009 08:08:29 PM PST John W. Thompson, chairman and chief executive of Cupertino-based Symantec, is being seriously considered for the job of commerce secretary in the Obama administration, two members of the valley's congressional delegation said Friday. Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Anna Eshoo said they believe Thompson, 59, would be a great choice for the job. "I believe he is a candidate," said Lofgren, D-San Jose. She said she suggested Thompson for the Commerce Department job when Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico withdrew. "I recommended him highly," she added. Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, said she told Obama team members that "he would be a great source of pride not only to the president but to the American people. I think he's being seriously considered." A technology industry source in Washington confirmed that Thompson "is in play for that, and I hear he's one of the finalists. It's between him and someone else who is not a technology person," this source said. Thompson could not be reached for comment. The possibility was greeted with unbridled enthusiasm by Silicon Valley political and tech-industry leaders, who described him as ideally suited to the job. He would be the only Cabinet appointment from the valley. Previous top Washington appointees from the valley include Hewlett-Packard founder David Packard, deputy secretary of defense in the Nixon administration, and venture capitalist and ESL co-founder Bill Perry, who was secretary of defense in the Clinton administration. Phillip J. Bond, president and chief executive of the Technology Association of America, described Thompson as "a fantastic fit" for the Commerce Department job. "I just think it would be an inspired choice," he said. "The Cabinet can benefit from having a globally experienced executive," Bond added. Thompson, a Democrat and one of the nation's highest-ranking African-American business executives, nurtured Symantec from a much smaller software company to a powerhouse in computer security, storage and systems management. He has been active in Silicon Valley trade groups, and he and his wife, Sandra, were "dynamos" for Obama's California presidential campaign, said Steve Westly, co-chairman of Obama's California campaign. In November, Thompson announced plans to retire in April, while continuing as a nonexecutive board member. Another Washington tech source said Padmasree Warrior of Cisco Systems was a candidate for the administration's newly created post of chief technology officer. Also in the running, said this source, are two technologists already holding government jobs, Vivek Kundra of Washington, D.C., and Aneesh Chopra of Virginia. Warrior was appointed Cisco CTO in December 2007, leaving a similar post at Motorola. Cisco CEO John Chambers described Warrior at the time as "a technology visionary, an excellent leader with a strong industry voice and business acumen." The appointments are in no way a done deal, but the incoming administration is taking a serious look at both of them, Washington observers said. Thompson has been expected to play some role in the new administration. Thompson, 59, is known as a decisive leader and technology visionary, and a lover of fine wines, fast cars and horses. A 2005 profile described his penchant for throwing barbecues at his Woodside estate, pairing expensive French wines with ribs and beans. Thompson got his start as an IBM executive and made the switch to the faster-paced leaner Silicon Valley years ago. An avid basketball fan like the incoming president, Thompson and his wife have hosted Obama at fundraisers. Carl Guardino, chief executive of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, said he met Obama in Thompson's living room a couple years ago, when Obama was a relatively unknown senator. Guardino said Thompson "would be a phenomenal choice both for Silicon Valley and our country. John is a brilliant businessman as well as a compassionate community leader, and he would bring those values to Washington, D.C." Russell Hancock, president of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, said he doesn't know Thompson personally "but I think really highly of him. What I'm more excited about, is he's from Silicon Valley. If this is true, it's a sign that the Obama administration understands the importance of Silicon Valley to the nation's economy. We've been clamoring for them to tap somebody from our region." Mercury News Staff Writer Scott Duke Harris contributed to this report. http://wikileaks.org/wiki/US_company_Symantec_using_PAC_to_bypass_campaign_contribution_limits_2008 Wikileaks (English) US company Symantec using PAC to bypass campaign contribution limits 2008 This is an internal memo sent on 25 June 2008 by John Thompson to some or all Symantec employees. Purpose is to inform employees of SYMPAC, a Political Action Committee "sponsored" by Symantec (US maker of anti-virus software and other computer security needs). Thompson explains the PAC's purpose, describes how it is governed and encourages everyone to tithe part of their paycheck. "The PAC contributes money to candidates for federal and state office and political parties and committees." This email is an example of why Political Action Committee contributions from corporations should be illegal. This is an email that was sent around to management. VPs, and management are pressured to donate to this PAC. Saying Symantec wants money to lobby for green IT. This is a joke because they can do that on their own. Why would they need to lobby the government to allow them to pursue green IT? A technology company like Symantec, or Microsoft wants more H1B visas to bring in cheaper labor. They may be lobbying to support John McCain's idea to cut corporate taxes from 25% to 35%. At any rate, an individual person's voice is being silenced by a PAC such as this. If I want to support an issue or a politician, I can donate to directly on my own. If someone donates to this PAC, they don't know where the money is going or what it's going support. http://wikileaks.org/leak/us-presidential-election-symantec-pac-contributions-2008.txt From: Office of John W. Thompson Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:14 PM To: DL-SYMC-PAC Subject: Supporting our Agenda in Washington Dear Colleague, Symantec employees are active and engaged in our communities. Whether it's charitable activities or political engagement, Symantec employees are informed and involved in the decisions that affect our company. Supporting candidates for elected office at the state and federal level who understand our company's legislative initiatives and policies is appropriate and in the interest of our customers, employees, and stockholders. Symantec sponsors a Political Action Committee (PAC) called SYMPAC, which allows employees to voluntarily pool their resources to support candidates for public office. The PAC contributes money to candidates for federal and state office and political parties and committees. I hope you will join me and many of your colleagues in supporting the Symantec PAC today, so that we can ensure that your political voice is heard. Symantec and SYMPAC's political spending reflects company, employee, and shareholder interests and not those of its individual officers or directors. A PAC Executive Committee governs and oversees all PAC activities. When making political disbursements from SYMPAC, a number of criteria are considered: the candidate's demonstrated leadership or potential for leadership; the candidate's position on issues affecting information integrity; and related high technology public policy priorities such as research funding and tax credits, green IT, and ensuring access to markets. Our objective is to continue to grow SYMPAC, both in terms of the number of Symantec employees participating and the total dollars raised, so that we can better engage in the political process. The 2008 general election is rapidly approaching, and this presents a significant opportunity for Symantec to be politically engaged and support candidates for elected office who have demonstrated to be strong advocates for our issues and the software industry. Government decisions have a significant and growing impact on our business and we must actively participate in supporting those political candidates who share our views on important public policy issues. We still lag far behind many other technology industry PACs. We are now competing with companies that have spent many years participating in the policy and political debate in Washington, so your support is needed now more than ever. Our ability to contribute to candidates is an important way to help elect individuals that understand and support our views, but we can't do that without sufficient funding of the PAC. Today, I'm inviting you to join SYMPAC, a key tool in electing effective representatives to serve in Washington. Our goal is to raise $125,000 for the 2008 election cycle and we are currently halfway there. A number of Symantec employees already participate in Symantec PAC, and we appreciate their support. I hope that you will consider donating what you can to ensure that PAC is adequately funded. Remember, this is a strictly voluntary program which is administered by a committee with regular feedback to participants on how PAC funds were spent. You can contribute by check or through payroll deduction. For example, a $500 contribution is just over twenty dollars a pay period per year. Your contributions are completely voluntary, and any amount of support is helpful. Please contact Adam Rak or Tiffany Jones in Government Relations to learn how you can sign up and contribute to the PAC, or if you have any additional questions regarding eligibility or contribution limits. In closing let me stress again that our collective commitment is vital to the success of Symantec and of Symantec's PAC. Together, we can ensure that Symantec's voice is heard loud and clear in Washington, DC and our state capitals. Thank you for your consideration and efforts in support of our company and the Symantec PAC. Sincerely, John W. Thompson Chairman and CEO http://www.symantec.com/en/in/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20070502_01 Press Release Symantec Expands in India, Opens Second Centre of Innovation in Chennai Key Security 2.0 products and solutions to be developed at new centre Mumbai, India - April 02, 2007: Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) today announced the further expansion of its R&D and technical operations in India with the inauguration of its Centre of Innovation at Chennai. Unveiled by Thiru. Dayanidhi Maran, Hon'ble Minister for Communications & Information Technology, Government of India and John W. Thompson, chairman and CEO, Symantec, the Chennai centre will play a critical role in the development of Symantec's next generation of security and availability products and solutions for enterprises and consumers the world over. Lauding Symantec's initiative at Chennai, Honorable Thiru. Dayanidhi Maran said "We are in an era of online collaboration and interactions, where the entire world is getting connected and touching our lives in different ways. In this milieu, Symantec's Centre of Innovation at Chennai will play a key role in developing new solutions and enabling an environment of safe and secure computing for enterprises and consumers in India and globally." The Centre of Innovation at Chennai is Symantec's second R&D facility in India with plans for accommodating more than 1,000 employees. Symantec's Centre of Innovation in Pune has more than 2,100 employees today and works on high-end product development in the security, storage, and compliance domains. Speaking on the occasion of the centre inauguration, John W. Thompson said "Chennai is a major commercial and industrial city with a rich talent pool, good infrastructure and excellent educational institutions. This center will further augment our already existing R&D and engineering strengths in India. We leverage these capabilities to maintain and extend our technology and product leadership globally. Our focus is also to be the solution provider of choice in a rapidly 'Connected India". Providing a preview of the work to be done out of the Chennai Centre, Anil Chakravarthy, vice president, India Technical Operations, Symantec Corporation said, "The Chennai centre will play a significant role in developing innovative products and services across Symantec's portfolio. In the coming year the centre will focus extensively on developing next-generation 'Security 2.0' products including the distinguished Norton product line." About Symantec Symantec is a global leader in infrastructure software, enabling businesses and consumers to have confidence in a connected world. The company helps customers protect their infrastructure, information, and interactions by delivering software and services that address risks to security, availability, compliance, and performance. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in 40 countries. More information is available at www.symantec.com. http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20070212/market05.shtml 12 February 2007 30 Minute Interview "India is Symantec's second largest engineering site" Deepak Mohan, Vice President, Data and Systems Management Group, Symantec and Anil Chakravarthy, Vice President, Indian Technical Operations, Symantec talk about problems faced by Indian SMBs, Symantec's solutions for SMBs, the company's beef with Microsoft about access to Vista's internals and the company's R&D activities in the country with Priya Jain. How does Symantec address the security and related problems faced by SMBs? [2007021207.jpg] Deepak Mohan: Even a small business needs to run 24x7 because it is either a part of a larger supply chain or in the process of becoming part of one. In such a scenario, any downtime means loss of business. Moreover, even though the Internet is a boon, once these systems and servers are online, companies start facing security problems. The normal files and applications on servers contain data that needs to be continuously backed up and protected. In companies, systems are only updated if there is a periodical change of OS or a service pack is being applied. Our products are optimised for both data protection and system protection. SMBs face problems in managing their complex systems. We at Symantec have a four point blueprint to solve this problem: data protection, system protection, application protection as well as policy and compliance. Small businesses have to comply with regulations as they grow or become a part of a larger supply chain. Other security vendors only have products in the security space and not in the back-up and security arena, Symantec is looking at e-mail archival security and data protection. So, instead of dealing with different vendors companies dealing with us get a complete set of products. There have been reports about security vendors including Symantec having certain reservations about Window Vista. What is Symantec's take on the issue? Deepak Mohan: Microsoft has not only locked down the OS for security reasons, which is something that we support, but they have also locked the APIs that would have otherwise allowed security vendors to protect Vista. The issue was that only Microsoft would have had access to those internals, while independent software vendors such as Trend Micro, Symantec and McAfee, would have been locked out. We consider this as an unfair practice. Secondly it leaves no choice for the customer when it comes to security offerings. Also to promote innovation in this space Microsoft needs to give security vendors access to this information. The last thing we have heard on this is Microsoft has agreed to give us access; I am not sure whether that has been delivered yet. [2007021208.jpg] Anil Chakravarthy: There are many ways in which we protect the system--by scanning using virus signatures, heuristics and using behaviour based security products. For all of this we have to monitor deep down in the OS. We want to provide as much as innovations as possible. Microsoft has provided us information about Vista, but details of the API known as PatchGuard, which is the core of the trusted OS and the kernel, were not provided. In the past the details of similar APIs had been provided to ISVs. This was robbing consumers of choice. So at this point, following pressure from various companies and customers, Microsoft has said that they will provide information and access to APIs. I believe that they will move in that direction. What are the issues faced by Indian SMBs? Anil Chakravarthy: For the average Indian SMB, ease of use is important, as these companies lack specialised skill sets for storage and security. They have one person as a system administrator for everything, so he needs a product that has features, is easy to use and does multiple tasks. SMBs across the Indian subcontinent were estimated to spend $7.7 billion on IT in 2006. IT Security and Storage, servers and networking are key focus areas for Indian SMBs. The big spenders in this category are auto components, textile and garments, pharmaceuticals and BFSI. These companies cannot afford downtime; they need a single product that can control their entire Windows set-up. Apart from this protecting critical data on the server, either by reducing downtime or loss of data due to user error or complexity in technology is required. SMBs are least equipped to handle these problems and they are also the least resilient. It can affect their business reputation. A small business that supplies a big retail store chain, may suffer damage to its business and its reputation, if it lacks data protection. The SMB Opportunity in India 1.9 million small and medium businesses with computers and 30,000 mid-market entities operate in India. About 54 percent of the IT spend in the country comes from small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). In June 2006, Microsoft Windows accounted for 68% of India's server market and over 70% of the PCs used in India ran Windows. For most SMBs in India, Windows plays a major role in keeping their business running and their employees productive. Can you tell us about your R&D activities in India? India is Symantec's second largest engineering site and a good amount of innovation and R&D for all our products is happening here. About 30 percent of our 600 engineers are based in India. 30 percent of Data & Systems Management Group (DSMG) R&D happens in India. Significant work on Symantec's Windows Protection product line is done in India. In the Data Security and Availability area work on Backup Exec happens in India. In System Security and Availability both PC Anywhere and LiveState are partly developed in the country. Symantec's global footprint (Backup) The company is the market leader in distributed systems backup or recovery software with a worldwide market share of 42.9 percent (Source: Gartner, 6/06). It is also the market leader in overall worldwide backup and recovery with a 36.8 percent market share worldwide (Source: Gartner, 6/06).