So TIME did a story where it featured an American who had lost his job to an Indian in India. Stories abound of Americans having to train low-paid Indians to do their jobs and then having to quit. It is unsettling to see this wave of negativism. As Americans we should remember that this great country has achieved super power status by being innovative.

The first car was invented in the U.S. The Japanese brought in automation and took the lead in the market. Did we fret? For a while, yes. Then we discovered high tech. The Chinese were unbeatable in labor and manufacturing costs. Again, we were scared. If even high tech went away, what will we do? The Internet came, bringing a software boom. The important thing to remember in this boom is that the profitability will be seen in lower cost implementation, which in turn will drive back prosperity into the economy. Is there a scare? I don’t think so. We are on track to find our next source of innovation.

Which brings me to the main feature in this issue: Tech Trends. Notable are the future roadmaps in fuel cell and digital media. Both are lifestyle changing technologies. While Jollie has been circumspect in his enthusiasm, the very idea that fuel could power more appliances and drive landmark changes in the way appliances work is a thrilling one. A car with no steering wheel? Mind boggling. Yet, there is adrenalin there.

Digital media could well be the next wave that could drive the Valley from its current nadir. While many technologies pushing the possibilities have been around, concurrent improvements in chip design, people-product-people connectivity and so on have taken giant strides forward which in turn have now made all-encompassing digital environments more than possible.

Two men of diverse experiences have talked about the China factor in our lives. Dinesh Paliwal has lived and worked in China and is now an honorary official of a key province. Romi Mahajan has worked worldwide, and especially with Indian companies. Both take a common refrain: learn from the Chinese. And then grow out of our fears. Paliwal deserves a special mention in underlining the importance of establishing infrastructure that will sustain growth. Romi picks up the refrain in pointing out that we have been very inward and short sighted in our growth opportunities. ‘Tis but time to rethink, methinks.

Our leader of the month has been brave; speaking out what many have been hesitant to air: the importance of being paranoid. Merhotra is to be applauded for his greatness in recognizing this key element that drives businesses to greater heights.

Jai Shekhawat.The investors seem to love him. Which is a sign that entrepreneurship isn’t wiped out. As he stands tall against the Sears, his acumen reminds me of a phrase from Andy Grove’s Only the Paranoid Survive: A CEO needs to have the vision to distinguish when an inflection point has been reached, and have the foresight to take the right steps to profit from it. Shekhawat tells his story of inflections.