Singaporean CEO Of Razer Says That, Contrary To Popular Belief, The Government Is More Open To Feedback Than We Think

The Razer CEO is not alone in his thoughts that Singapore is not the ideal test-bed.

The Singaporean Chief Executive Officer of Razer, a San Francisco-based gaming hardware company, responded to remarks he made previously that the country was not an ideal test-bed for global innovation.

Tan Min-Liang, who founded Razer in 2005, responded in a Facebook post after receiving comments that he was ‘criticising’ the Singapore government.

In his post dated 17th March 2017, he addressed an interview that was published on The Business Times via AsiaOne a few days earlier on 13th March.

Tan was one of the veteran entrepreneurs quoted in the article, sharing the view that it would be more advantageous for Singapore companies to focus on global markets or internationalisation instead of locally.

The Razer CEO recounted that after the article was published, people messaged him saying, “OMG, the SG govt is going to be unhappy that you’re criticising them.”

He felt that first of all, it was merely his personal opinion and he was not criticising any particular policy.

“To be honest I don’t know if there’s any specific govt policy about test-bedding in SG – I was just asked about it and I gave my perspective,” he wrote.

He also added that he thinks the Singapore government is a lot more open to feedback than most people think.

He continued: “I see a lot of smart people in the govt/service who are incredibly driven to do good things for the country and they have been very responsive when it comes to feedback.

“They have been doing a pretty phenomenal job and we can only help them do better by giving candid feedback in a positive way instead of just exuding negativity on the internet.

“Finally, I think most people self censor themselves too much in fear of some specter of an authoritarian SG govt in their minds when fundamentally, the SG govt has been focused on doing their best for the people.

“Giving/receiving feedback in a positive sense is always good – as long as the intentions/motives are good and in the best interest of the country/company.”

Not Worth Test-Bedding In Singapore

In The Business Times article, he had said domestic market is too small and the results from test-bedding locally are rarely worth the same amount of effort spent to test-bed outside of Singapore.

Tan was quoted as saying: “While it might seem like common wisdom to first test (an idea) in Singapore, and then take it regionally and to the world, with all due respect to the government, I think it doesn’t make sense in today’s world.

“Furthermore, by the time you’re done with test-bedding in Singapore, somebody’s already tested the same (idea) in China, or in California, reaching out to North America and so forth. You’re better off starting in the US and China from the get-go.”

What Caused The ‘Controversy’?

The masses’ response could be due to Tan’s Facebook post back in July 2016, where he made sharp remarks about the government’s attitude towards gaming.

He had penned a public post saying, “As a Singaporean, I’ve been incredibly astounded at the schizophrenic attitude the Singapore government has to gaming.”

The gaming company CEO also criticised the government for its “contradictory” attitude on wanting to develop the country’s creative scene and gaming industry while exacting censorship and banning certain popular games.

He was referring to Counterstrike, which was banned back in the day for “excessive violence” and Mass Effect because of a kiss scene between a blue-skinned alien woman and another woman.

He goes on: “In case you missed it, gaming is an art form, it’s also now the biggest medium for creative expression — far outstripping movies and music.

“Just a tip from a Singaporean who knows a little about gaming, stop being a Jon Snow and learn to keep an open mind – there’s no point over-regulating in an industry you know nothing about.”

“I’m generally happy with how the Singapore govt runs things – I think they’ve done a great job in general actually, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to suck it up when they suggest inane things like monitoring or censoring games,” he then added in a second post.

Invest In Singaporeans Who Want To Go Global

The Razer CEO is not alone in his thoughts that Singapore is not the ideal test-bed.
Isaac Ho, CEO of venture capital firm Venturecraft, agrees that the environment in Singapore is not a true test of the actual global market. He said the government’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship may be counter-intuitive as Singaporeans are “well taken-care of” by the government.

“Every young person I’ve spoken to acknowledged they will not have an issue owning an HDB. The hunger level is not the same. Most entrepreneurs know there is always another job for them,” he said. He feels they should be exposed to real hunger and passion by letting them learn more about technology and innovation through overseas attachments, and understand how far ahead other countries are.

Tan said Singapore should focus less on bringing in foreign talent and companies, and more on investing in Singaporeans who are prepared to go global but who will bring employment, innovation and profit back to the country.

However, it will not be an easy task. He said, “It’s not going to happen overnight, we need to be prepared to be investing heavily in the long term without seeing any short-term rewards.”