Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ GS:JAVA) President and CEO Jonathan Schwartz posted to his blog an e-mail that he shared with Sun leaders. The e-mail was written in response to frequent questions that Mr. Schwartz has received regarding the current banking crisis in the U.S., and how this might impact Sun.
Mr. Schwartz turns the question around. It is not how the crisis impacts Sun, but rather how it impacts Sun’s customers, both current and prospective. In this he sees tremendous opportunity.
The statement that was most impactful for me was this:
“You’re not going to hear from any of our customers: ‘Let’s stop buying technology and hire more people to do the work.’ They’re going to default to the opposite – automating work, and finding answers and opportunities with technology, not headcount.”
Will customers be impacted? Certainly. This has already started. But this stressful environment will also create opportunities for companies with technology that adds value for its customers.