Military service makes Israeli techies tougher

My comment is to "pikipapina". The article is non-political and by choice you have made it political. So let me get political but let's forget it is Israel. If you or I had a gun and repelled onto a ship to enforce security measures and someone came swinging poles and knives at me, do you expect me to shimmy back up the rope and leave? Prehaps I couldn't shimmy back up that rope. The insanity that made these "activists" attack fully armed men shows they were not to be reasoned with and probably the force of the Isralis was the only way to stop their madness. I think the Israelis showed restraint and could have caused more deaths but fortuneately after the frenzied crowd realized that their folly caused their comrades deaths did they stop their attacks which prevented more of the comrades from dying for nothing.

Way to go, Israel!

You gotta give it to the Israelis for their gutsy, enterprising, on-the-go & trailblazing entreprenaurship.

It must be that fine-tuned 'survivor instinct' they've honed, over two thousand years of living on the edge..

Shalom!

Does Israel have to pay for these ads or are they free?

These innovations would not have been possible without the billions of US tax payer dollars funding IDF purchases and training!
Time for the US to impose some austerity measures on the IDF.

Anyone want to play "find ten things wrong with the silly picture"?

Wow,

this military service experience sounds THE EXACT OPPOSITE of what we have in Greece where conscripts mainly try "to shoot down flies" (βαράνε μύγες) in their compulsory service. :p

Also suggested reading: Senor & Singer: "Start-up Nation"

Frohman & Howard: "Leadership the Hard Way"

The second book is by Dov Frohman, who invented flash memories for Intel and later went on to found Intel Israel which now employs about 7,000 Israelis or about one in every 1,000 Israelis. www.leadershipthehardway.com

Training to kill people and dehumancie foreigners helps to start it startups? Ok, ill never ever consider to take a job at an it startup :-).

Even in the reality TV show, The Apprentice, the season with one military contestant showed the organization and team skills. Donald Trump picked the marine as the winner.

I reckon this could be a reason for other countries to maintain, or re-introduce, conscription. I truly believe that most democracy - not turning this into a debate over the state of Israel - benefits from conscription, because:

- The armed forces can recruit from all parts of the society, and not only amongst them who can chose between a McDonald's and an Army uniform.
- The young men (and women) who leaves the armed forces will have expanded their toolbox of personal competences, and this have proven over and over again to be a valuable addition to any organization.

Is david365 pluging Senor & Singer's book on the side ?

Two things to say here.

1st) The author here for gets to mention the religious tradition that many Israeli's follow of standing up and taking responsibility for ones self while still a teenager a tradition I think all cultures could benefit from.

2) To Older and Now Wiser: I think John Adams would have appreciated you on his team when (during one of his personal moral high points) he defended the British soldiers who fired into the crowd at the Boston Massacre. And, having reintroduced the subject, let me add my personal thoughts. Ultimately violence only begets more violence, so as sad as the incident referred to is, I hope for the sake of Peace that the parties try to move on and seek a greater common good that will provide appropriate restitution for their losses. Imagine if they used this incident to make Peace and not War.

The article doesn't mention how compulsory conscription into an active military service, has had a dramatic effect on the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) of entire generations of Israelis.

They get these skills, but at what mental cost?

@Older and now Wiser and inventive

I don't know what to make of this article.
I would like to know what percentage of ex-IDF Israelis end up being entrepreneurs.

I come from a South Asian country where surely some ex-military men have started something on their own and went on to be successful, but more often than not, they end up not so well off on their post military lives. Maybe its the superior military culture (as the author points out that ideas are welcome while inside IDF) in Israel that makes this possible.

In any case, I don't think I'd pick up a gun rather than picking up a pen, but then again, I was not subjected to doing service when I was eighteen.

Economistrants .... i strongly don't agree with you !!!

Great Article !

Thank you

Yeah, well, service is mandatory, so entrepreneurs are bound to come out of the army. I think a more apt description is that the Israeli army breeds hight-tech hatred.

Its very strange.

But MBAs make (much) more money ;-)

Why fight wen u kann buy ppl off? Think BIG!