Will Huawei prove that companies are stronger than governments?

Huawei
Image credit | LightFieldStudios

For quite a while now, people have been saying that Governments are a waste of space and companies and market forces, aligned for long term good, are the real powerhouses. It seems that the Huawei debacle/fiasco [delete as appropriate] is about to prove the point.

260 US companies want to do business with Huawei. Countries and companies from every corner of the world are doing business with Huawei and will continue to do so. Turkey is the latest.

Companies will do business with companies that they believe provide the best deal, based on whatever criteria they have mapped out.

Trying to stop that is rapidly and recently going from frightening and insular to laughable and global.

The same is becoming true, or at least obvious, in some of the big issues of our time. Climate change will not be solved by Governments saying use less plastic. Climate change will be solved by companies (and particularly entrepreneurs) who see a massive opportunity. This will be backed up – and probably launched – by Universities finding cool new uses for plastic (as the obvious example). It is now on the verge of being used as a fuel, it is on the verge of being munched appreciatively by certain types of bacteria and it is on the verge of being collected from the oceans by cool new technologies and techniques.

Huawei was unfortunate in that it was the pawn in a silly, unconstructive trade war between two giant economies on a collision course. And while some industry observers believe that Huawei will continue to suffer, surely that is because companies have decided to go down another path to 5G or whatever strategy needs to be implemented.

It is, frankly, a relief that common sense seems to be, if not winning, at least holding its own. Long may it last.

Ultimately, if we align business goals with greater, planetary goals, we stand a good chance of surviving, and thriving.

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