Most of the value added is in a few big, sophisticated firms that prefer using machines to humans.
For big and sophisticated firms, entering into an agreement to fix prices is a clear and knowing conspiracy against consumers.
They had an excellent technical heritage: PDVSA was created in the mid-1970s when the local subsidiaries of sophisticated firms like Exxon and Royal Dutch Shell were nationalised.
"The more sophisticated firms, the ones that will thrive in the future, they have become very much aware of what this new situation presents," said Silvia Hodges, who teaches law firm management at Fordham Law School.
The Series A funding community includes such sophisticated firms as Kaszek Ventures, which was founded by former MercadoLibre executives.
The R&D effort, even of the largest, most technologically advanced developing countries, and their most sophisticated firms, cannot match that of the major industrial nations or the largest corporations.
As Enron grew bigger and more sophisticated, the firm's billings rose substantially.
The combination ticks every box, bringing a presence in key markets for Chinese clients and exposure to a sophisticated foreign firm with skills in areas like investment banking and foreign-currency funding.
In many ways, some of our financial institutions have in effect been carrying out a fantastically sophisticated long firm fraud, although that may not have been their intention at the outset.
Matt Freeman is suspicious, suggesting that, "Frankly, this seems like the sort of thing a sophisticated marketing firm would do in order to establish a counter-presence in the blogosphere without going on the record".
There's one exception: If you are the founder of a sophisticated tech firm.
