Cooperation for excellence: The third law of Laozi on technology innovation

Laozi's third law of innovation concerns with the implementation of innovation, whose mode of operation reflects the sense of humanity of the players involved. Laozi suggested that one can enhance the value of innovation by seeking cooperation with other innovations to create synergy. He noticed that it is good human nature to give rather than to receive and that in giving and caring about others, one brings out the bright side of human beings conducive to inter-dependence and mutual reliance. This behavioral pattern was practiced by successful innovators and entrepreneurs in the information age through seeking non-zero-sum games such as open source, common language, shared platforms, etc. The success of Microsoft and Intel in the early development of personal computers can be attributed to their focus on building shared platforms for multiple users. The advent of the iPhone, which brings together computation, wireless, and internet innovations, has heightened the climax of the IT economy. The strategy of growth by acquisition of Cisco System starting in 1990 and the amiable settlement of lawsuits between Apple Computers and Microsoft in 2000, and between TSMC and GlobalFoundries in 2019, were taken as specific examples to illustrate Laozi's third law.