GOVERNMENT

Sun CEO Scott McNealy Pushes Industry to Rethink Business for 21st Century, Focus on Collaboration and Community - Sun Microsystems' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Scott McNealy today challenged leaders in all industries to rethink traditional business models. At a forum on the "Economics of Sharing," McNealy and other participants discussed how the rise of the global network has rendered protectionist practices obsolete. The panel proposed that today's forward-looking companies are adopting a transparent and shared approach to business in order to build communities and harness the power of collaborative thinking, innovation and effort. Along with McNealy, the panelists in this Participation Age event included Timothy Bresnahan, professor of economics, Stanford University; Philip Evans, senior vice president, Boston Consulting Group; Raman Khanna, founding managing director, Diamondhead Ventures; and Elisabeth Rhyne, senior vice president of international operations and policy, ACCION International. Andreas Kluth, technology correspondent for The Economist, moderated the discussion. The event was held at Sun Microsystems' Santa Clara campus. For a webcast, visit its Web site. "Businesses are finding that in order to stay competitive they need to throw open their doors a bit more," said Evans. "The Web is all about community. As open source movements are showing already, by collaborating with others and sharing, the opportunity for innovation and widespread invested interest is heightened." "Sun Microsystems was founded on the principles of openness, community and sharing. In our 24-year history, we've contributed more code to the open source community than any other organization and collaborated with competitors and colleagues alike," said McNealy. "In the Participation Age, business models that hoard products, services and intellectual property can be a hindrance to innovation and growth. More companies are discovering that sharing 'their crown jewels' with the world can open up new opportunities and drive new economic systems." The Participation Age Sun believes the world is entering a new era - the Participation Age - where dramatically lowered barriers to entry, plummeting device prices, and near-universal connectivity are driving a new round of network participation. From blogs to Java, SMS messages to Web services, participants are forming communities to drive change, create new businesses, new social services and new discoveries. This growth in the network economy is fueled by sharing and collaboration among communities interconnected by technology and driven by purpose. Sun also believes that sharing and collaboration in the Participation Age will stimulate innovation to help all participants from across the world grow and prosper.