I used to get a kick out of reading books on globalization.  I could eat up Bhagwati, Stiglitz, and Friedman for days.  (Disclaimer: I can no longer tolerate Friedman, mainly thanks to Matt Taibbi.)  All of these writers talked about outsourcing - specifically, the outsourcing of American labor.

In regards to globalization, the notion of outsourcing usually pertains to manual labor, low-income jobs, and non-specialized labor.  However, over the past several years, outsourcing has grown to encompass higher-level vocational work, particularly software design.  For some fields this is okay.  Outsourcing can minimize costs in standardized practices like accounting and HR.  There’s no problem here as long as the software is simple and increases efficiency.

The serious issue with this trend is that globalization has made it too easy to outsource proprietary software.  I’ve seen too many friends come up with a great ideas for businesses (software and otherwise) and then outsource the whole project.  Today, when you can hire a firm in India to produce something for a fraction of the cost you’d pay domestically, it seems like an easy, enticing, and obvious option.  However, it’s the wrong option.

Whatever interface you use and whatever software is at the core of your business needs to come from you.  By “you” I mean you or someone who works for/with you that is close to you and invested in your success.  When you outsource, you’re not just putting the development of your business in the hands of someone across the globe who doesn’t truly give a shit about you or your product, but you’re also relinquishing all control of the design.

There’s an adage that goes “Let your life proceed by its own design” (okay, it’s actually a Grateful Dead quote).  When you outsource the design of your product, then its building blocks, aesthetic, functionality, and personality are not your own, and in the end, they won’t represent what you want or intended.  So when the urge comes to take the easy road and outsource, remember that your ideas should proceed by your own design, not someone you’ve never met before.