Vinod Khosla

Sun Microsystems co-founder
Next century's challenge will be to define `human'

From your perspective, what have been some of the most important developments of the 20th century, and how will the world be different 100 years from now?

Clearly, the silicon transistor about 50 years ago was the biggest invention because it let us build the tools to do everything else that now constitutes technology. The invention of the laser may have a similar or larger impact in its first 50 years. These inventions have changed or are changing all traditional global events -- wars, religion, education, wealth distribution, the power of nations, companies, people -- into a technology-driven sub-issue.

Wars are driven by technology, but, more important, the battle has moved from the ``traditional battlefield'' to a technology-driven economic war. The economic war is fueled by education and skilled talent, which is increasingly driven by technology. Health is often driven by technology enabled by the silicon transistor (both computation and a lot more). The PC industry alone was the largest legal creation of wealth in human history in a decade (about $100 billion), and that number is being trivialized by the Internet, which is driving a lot of the new wealth creation.

We will really have to struggle in the next 100 years (though by 2100 this issue will be completely resolved) with the issue of what is a ``human being.'' Since we will have clones, we will have the technology for eternal life and we will have the ability to duplicate every aspect of the human being to the point where even the closest relations of the ``original human'' will be not be able to distinguish between the original and the ``Xerox copy.'' Further, since the human brain with all its knowledge, behaviors, history and eccentricities will be completely downloadable and transportable in a network, the definition of the ``e-human'' will be a big social issue.

As a sidelight, traditional religion will feel as current then as a witch doctor feels current today!

Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, is a general partner of the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers venture-capital firm. He lives in Portola Valley.

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