UCLA Professor and author of Beyond the Valley Ramesh Srinivasan

425: UCLA Professor Ramesh Srinivasan discusses why and how we should look past Silicon Valley for innovation. He argues that innovation is happening all around the world, and he shares his experiences in countries like Kenya and Mexico. Citing how these countries are doing more with less and being resourceful, rather than feeling as if economic or infrastructural constraints are restricting their ability to act, he claims that individuals in these countries are innovating with constraints. Further, he cautions against creating a world in which the inequalities that we currently see are amplified by technological innovations that are only defined within the Valley. Instead, he advocates for an internet that lifts all of us up because it creates a win-win scenario. We also discuss Ramesh’s goal to have a digital bill of rights, his Lab's attempt to bring a variety of scholars and researchers into contact with one another and share their learnings with the wider public through workshops, engaging with journalists, and writing books, companies Ramesh has seen emerge in the countries he has worked in, among other topics.