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Software Industry Has $1 Trillion Economic Impact In US (cnet.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the Silicon-Valley dept.

An anonymous reader writes from a report via CNET: A report from software trade organization BSA The Software Alliance shows that the software industry is driving economics gains across the country. The software industry had a $1.07 trillion impact on U.S. gross domestic product in 2014, according to the report. It's being driven by 2.5 million jobs directly related to the software industry, with an additional 7.3 million positions for people in real estate, professional services and other fields the industry supports. California surpassed all other states with 408,143 software jobs that contributed roughly $90.53 billion to the GDP. New York came in second with 147,361 software jobs contributing $37.16 billion. Texas came in third with 200,000 jobs adding about $30 billion. Alaska came in last place with 1,325 software jobs contributing $248 million to the GDP.

3 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Microsoft wants a subsidy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    BSA is just a front for Microsoft, so what are they lobbying for? I'm guessing its a subsidy and some protection when their desktop market collapses under the oncoming storm of ARM desktops.

  2. BSA = Software Industry Lobbyists by nateman1352 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I suspect that the $1 trillion number the BSA came up with is a generous estimation that gives excessive weight to all the secondary sectors that the software industry supports. Just because construction firms purchase a bunch of trucks doesn't mean that construction jobs get counted as part of "the auto industry's impact on GDP." The only thing that counts towards GDP is the revenue generated by the sales of those trucks (worker wages DO NOT count as part of GDP unless they are government workers), same principle should apply to the software industry.

    Just a bunch of rhetoric to talk up Congress about why its so important that they pass a bunch of new IP laws to protect the US economy.

  3. Re:Lawyers also add many billions to the GDP by Guy+Harris · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Every time there is a patent case, the GDP goes up.

    And don't forget those people running around throwing stones at windows - look at all the jobs they're giving to glaziers!

    (Yes, I know, that's exactly what you're saying here....)