Outsourcing American tech jobs was not only a hot-button issue in the presidential election, but also continues to be a popular tactic among private businesses, according to Bruce Chizen, the president and chief executive officer of Adobe Systems.
Chizen spoke to Wharton students yesterday about life as the head honcho of one of the world's largest software companies.
The talk was a part of the Wharton Leadership Lecture Series, which invites prominent business executives to address MBA students.
Chizen spoke about his tenure at Adobe and gave the audience frank advice about the realities of the business world. "It's getting tougher out there," he said. "We're trying to hire people who can think outside the box."
Chizen added that, with such a competitive job market, even Wharton graduates should be concerned about job security. "We can't make the same promises we did many years ago," he said. "It's a much more fluid environment."
He focused much of his talk on the importance of diversity within his company, mentioning that Adobe seeks employees from all over the world.
"I encourage you to do whatever you can to gain a global perspective," he told the audience of approximately 60. "We are requiring students who are both deep and broad in their skill sets."
Continuing the trend that is alarming some Americans, Adobe is focusing on outsourcing labor.
Chizen said that hiring globally also has financial benefits for Adobe. "We need to take advantage of low-cost labor markets," he said. "If we don't, our competitors will."
He reminded the audience that CEOs are now under intense pressure to make sure their companies follow legal and ethical standards.
"We cannot afford to have employees who are not ethical," he said. "Certainly, now CEOs are responsible for the behavior of every single employee."
Chizen also discussed the challenges of running a company like Adobe -- which produces products like Acrobat Reader and Photoshop and brings in over $1.2 billion annually. "The cash comes in more quickly than we know what to do with," he said. "It's a fun business."
According to Chizen, however, being a CEO is not as glamorous as one might expect. "I provide tech support for my family," he said. "I think you'll be surprised by the life of a CEO."
He also noted that Adobe struggles with larger competitors.
"Every morning and every night, I wake up and go to sleep worrying about Microsoft," he said.
Chizen drew a diverse crowd to the lecture, ranging from prospective employees to undergraduates seeking an interesting business success story.
"I visited the Bay Area looking for jobs last year, and the swankiest building I visited was the Adobe building," said Wharton MBA student Kaustubh Das, who attended the lecture because he is potentially interested in working for Adobe. "This is a company that was certainly doing well."
Other attendees, such as Wharton junior Pavel Yurashevich, were simply fans of Adobe's software.
"I use a lot of Adobe products, and I'm really interested in where the company's going," he said.
Yurashevich added that he had hoped the talk would focus more on the company's history.
"I was looking for him to explain to us how the company grew, what kind of leadership challenges they had," he said. "It's a leadership lecture, as opposed to a shareholders' meeting."
True to the lecture series' title, Chizen concluded with his thoughts on good leadership qualities.
"I try to make myself accessible. I try to do what's fair and right. I'm always honest when I'm wrong," he said. "First thing I learned: Hire people who are much smarter than you."
