Start-up Nation: The Story Of Israel's Economic Miracle Quotes
"Our idea is simple. We believe that the world is divided between good people and bad people, and the trick to beating fraud is to distinguish between them on the Web."
"Good people leave traces of themselves on the Internet—digital footprints—because they have nothing to hide."
"It’s easier in a country where politeness gets less of a premium."
"In the military, you’re in an environment where you have to think on your feet."
"Too much time can only teach you what can go wrong, not what could be transformative."
"Imagine a reunion every year, and that it lasts for two to four weeks. And it's with the unit you had spent three years with in the army."
"The notion that one should accumulate credentials before launching a venture simply does not exist."
"Israeli soldiers are not defined by rank; they are defined by what they are good at."
"We’re much more mature; we’ve got more life experience."
"The whole country is one degree of separation."
"It’s now all word of mouth. . . . Everybody knows everybody."
"If you don’t behave, you cannot disappear to Wyoming or California."
"In Israel, the military gets to select the best. In the U.S., it’s the other way around."
"The military gets you at a young age and teaches you that when you are in charge of something, you are responsible for everything that happens... and everything that does not happen."
"The phrase ‘It was not my fault’ does not exist in the military culture."
"In Israel, the military is this great purely merit-based institution in our society."
"When it comes to U.S. military résumés, Silicon Valley is illiterate."
"There must be something wrong with him" was how employers back then reacted to nonvets looking for private-sector jobs.
"Civilian culture and military culture shook hands, exchanged phone numbers, and started to lose track of each other."
"Immigrants are not averse to starting over. They are, by definition, risk takers. A nation of immigrants is a nation of entrepreneurs."
"The catastrophic events of World War II were another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of Jewish homelessness."
"Israel became the only nation in history to explicitly address in its founding documents the need for a liberal immigration policy."
"In the United States, an individual must wait five years before applying for naturalization."
"Israel’s immigration and absorption policies focus on bringing immigrants in, in contrast to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service."
"Even under threat, Israelis maintain a drive to succeed that is both personal and national, described as 'davka'."
"The best way to understand Israel’s watershed moment in defense is through its response to a dramatic, overnight betrayal by a close ally."
"Israel’s multifaceted military R&D experience catalyzed its start-up hothouse, combined with a profound interdisciplinary approach."
"Israeli Air Force’s approach contrasts with other air forces, favoring versatility and adaptability over specialization."
"Israel's strategy in military and technology emphasizes resilience and ingenuity, akin to a 'beat-up jeep with a lot of tools'."
"The shift in Israel’s economy towards technology was sparked by a necessity to develop independent defense capabilities."
"The United States typically uses four waves of specialized aircraft to accomplish a specific component of the mission."
"It’s overwhelming and it’s very well coordinated. It’s very challenging logistically."
"In the Israeli system, almost every aircraft is a jack-of-all-trades."
"You don’t go into combat without air-to-air missiles, no matter what the mission is."
"Similarly, nearly every aircraft in the IAF has its own onboard electronic warfare system."
"The differences in the two countries’ systems are most obvious when Israelis and Americans fly together in joint exercises."
"The multitasking mentality produces an environment in which job titles don’t mean much."
"The term in the United States for this kind of crossover is a mashup."
"The companies where mashups are most common in Israel are in the medical-device and biotech sectors."
"Gavriel Iddan used to be a rocket scientist for Rafael, a company that is one of the principal weapons developers for the IDF."
"In 2001, Given Imaging became the first company in the world to go public on Wall Street after the 9/11 attacks."
"Today, the latest generation of PillCams painlessly transmit eighteen photographs per second, for hours, from deep within the intestines of a patient."
"The story of Given Imaging is not just one of technology transfer from the military to the civilian sectors."
"One such mashup, a company that has bridged the divide between the military and medicine, is Compugen."
"In the IDF, Mintz created algorithms for sifting through reams of intelligence data to find the nuggets that have been so critical to Israel’s successes in hunting terrorist networks."
"Putting this together required an unorthodox combination of engineering skills."
"Mixing missiles and pills, jets and inhalers may seem strange enough, but the true mashup champion may be Yossi Gross."
"The Israeli penchant for technological mashups is more than a curiosity; it is a cultural mark that lies at the heart of what makes Israel so innovative."
"The future of the region is going to depend on our teaching our young people how to go out and create companies."
"Entrepreneurship has played only a negligible part in Arab world economies."
"The vast majority of the region’s economic activity is driven by the production and refinement of hydrocarbons."
"The badly needed reforms that the elites regard as a threat are necessary for a culture in which entrepreneurs and inventors can thrive."
"The absence of motive is a problem in a number of the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council."
"Israel’s case was different. Top-notch universities were founded well before there even was a state."
"Israel, a nation of immigrants, has continually been dependent on successive waves of immigration to grow its economy."
"The obstacles for Dubai, in this sense, are profound."