In a few years, have things changed a lot in internet business?

Basically, I don't think they've changed that much. It is true that it has developed and that in daily life the activity is more normal, but it is not so different. From the point of view of business, for example, the same thing happens again and again: every three or four years a new player enters that redefines everything. Yahoo, Google, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter… or for a couple of years now, Foursquare. It is true, on the other hand, that the possibility of making new companies has at present been reduced in many respects. There are four big players who take oxygen out of the ecosystem: Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook. These largely mark the rules of the network.

Fully empowered Google?

I think it's no longer the successful company that was six or seven years ago. It doesn't have the ability to attract new talents that it already had. Good engineers run away from Google.

Where are they going?

Creating new companies, Facebook, companies where the business is in different stages of development… That’s the most interesting thing on the Internet, every two or three years everything is redefined.

You love change.

Yes. No doubt. I believe that when starting work there are two main axes: the first is that everyone has to seek the development of their career. We're the managers of our lives, and if we don't take it that way, we go wrong. The second axis is the instability that exists today. Today we are in a kind of puddle in the industrial revolution. I think the world is going to go ahead, but that's true, as in the 19th century, a lot of people will go to unemployment, until a new model of industrialization is established. We have to go through this phase of change. In that I am optimistic, but not so optimistic about the culture and values of society. I believe that in many areas we have weakened and become conformist. Two very significant examples: a lot of young people want to be a functionary. That's the model he wants to build his life without taking risks. And the worst thing is that society agrees with that.

For others to guess…

In Basque Country Herria we have always had here and out many inventors and adventurers developing the world and spreading their messages. But looking at young people, I'm not very optimistic. In the digital world, it's normal for young people to walk, but today they're not so used to starting companies or developing ideas as logical. Most of those who are here in our environment are over 35 years old, except for exceptions. That's different outside of here. London is an example of this. There are many foreign entrepreneurs who come together in the market of this city and offer funding pathways. And although there's a lot of competition for good professionals because you have to pay very high wages, the situation is better than here, more intense. Since democracy began, sociologically and politically, it seems that the responsibility to move forward is left to the government. Some of the fortunate activities that have suffered many impediments are out of this trend, such as that of the Basque community in Navarre. And that's made it strong. Those who are used to resisting the wind are getting easier to walk in life and in the world. This requires self-confidence, enthusiasm and passion and, unfortunately, the young people of today have a lot of training, but they lack that attitude.

Many times they tell us it's time for crisis, time for opportunity.

And nine out of ten who say that don't risk anything. That's what they say with a secure salary in their pocket. I think a new world is coming. It will be difficult, because normally power does not peacefully recognize changes. It is clear that today the representation of any institution is very limited. I don't care whether I'm political parties, trade unions or the Church. New schemes are being created so that people can represent themselves. With the new resources, people have the ability to give their opinion at all times. This allows direct participation. Every day we see that political parties, for example, are working for their interests above the interests of the people, and that needs to be changed and it will change.

We're in a new cycle, and that's why, at the moment, we barely see the bad consequences. A saying in English says that “the future is here” and it is true, what happens is that it is not as dispersed in the world. In this respect, small businesses have an advantage. This journal Argia o Euskalerria Irratia de Pamplona can be good examples of this: they have great internal cohesion and are making great progress, among others, in the digital world. In big communication companies, all of that moves much more slowly, because there are more people and everyone wants to maintain their historic rights.

Do new technologies favor Euskera?

Of course. The most important element generated by the Internet is disintermediation. That is, it eliminates mediation. It drastically reduces the bridge of services between those who create and those who consume. If there is a will to consume something, the Internet allows you to achieve it. The number of options also increases enormously, making it easier to offer your service, but it is more difficult to find the consumer. I believe that the Basque country has to play between these two challenges and, in this sense, social dynamization is very important outside the Internet. Trust and habit are more easily built in the physical world, and maintained or grown in the digital world.

Work the trust and habit of clients and peers. Yahoo! recently announced that it has reduced teleworking to increase this relationship.

Yes, it is true. I think they are looking for compromise. You trust that these people can perform their work, but if you want to build the maximum commitment to the company, physical presence is essential. However, the models are not easy to define and in each situation you have to decide how to work with each person. Too much friction is bad and the lack of friction does not generate movement.

You yourself guarantee that direct relationship with your colleagues. You live between Bilbao and London. How do you organize the week?
From Monday to Wednesday, I'm in London. Until now I was there until Thursday, but now that my wife spends two days outside Bilbao, I have to be at home with my three children.

Born from Malaga, from the Guipuzkoan family and from Sakanda origin, you have lived in eleven countries of the world… Why does Bilbao live?

His wife chose him. It is Madrilenian, we lived at ease in Madrid, but I wanted our children to be Basque. When my eldest daughter was a child, I tried to organize an Euskaldun children's school in Madrid, but I didn't succeed and I came here to live. We have relations with all the cities, Pamplona, Vitoria, San Sebastian… but my wife chose Bilbao because it is very well connected and it was the city that was rising at that time. The truth is that we are very happy. My only shadow is the situation of the Basque people in Bilbao. I thought my children were going to Euskaldunize, but I see that living in an Euskaldun environment is so difficult or more difficult than here in Pamplona. That's my only frustration. Our biggest challenge is that Euskaldunes really want and want to live in Euskera. We must do our best. I don't think anyone has to come to help you. I do not believe that in the business world or in the Basque country. Today there is a lack of pride in being Basque in my youth.

Champion in the head and walk around the world?

I like to live in Bilbao and work outside Bilbao. In the end, I am much freer to say what I think and to criticise the government, the political parties, the employers or the unions. I build the future in the world, but unfortunately in our society, if you want to build your business, you become a slave. Beyond the static concept of sovereignty, for me, emancipation is something dynamic. Our sovereignty would be to create our society and our businesses here, to sell them all over the world. That is precisely my challenge: Create a business in the Basque Country. It's not easy. I've had some failures, but you have to learn. We have a right to failure, but not to learning.

Vascos, good traffickers?

Being Basque helps you in this, because you are used to being different from your environment. Because you're used to listening to others. Even when you go to a new country, you're going to hear. On the contrary, those from high-language countries are going to speak. This is where I see the possibility of building positions and business. It's not easy for an English to open a business in India with ordinary people in the country, and it's been easy for me. An Indian never says no, surely because for years he has had a subordinate relationship with a white man. But if you're going to listen, ask questions, and with a little patience, you can do a lot of things.

Being a speaker of a small unknown gives many advantages in the world business world. When I was on Yahoo! I would telephone anywhere, and everyone would encourage me to listen to our proposals. Now, when I call India from Lokku, I'm no one, and that gives you another attitude and capability. It must be proud and humble at the same time. The well-managed Euskera helps you to have appropriate attitudes in many ways.

You've worked on Yahoo! Pepsin and many other companies. Now at Nestoria. What exactly is your job?

My challenge is to transform technological opportunities into business. The first step is to inform your peers and investors of the view of the business you want to do. And then you have to try to meet those goals or, at least, get closer. It is one thing to talk and another to do. The audience on the Internet is bigger than the business. The challenge is how to make money out of this audience. How do you turn that audience into money?

Nestoria is a vertical search engine in the housing sector. What is that?

Some search engines are generic. They serve to look for anything. Most searches fall into five categories, regardless of gender: travel, products, news, finance and local searches. A vertical search engine only searches in one area. We're not a real estate. Our customers are real estate portals and what we offer them is that we can put your data into a database. Anyone who wants to consult in this way will find everything in one place: homes to buy or rent, as well as the services that exist around each one (schools, transport, leisure offers, etc. ). We work in Germany, United Kingdom, Spanish State, France, Brazil, India and Australia. The business is going well, even if it's not stable. The real estate world is not at a good time. Right now, there's a big bubble in Brazil and in India. In the State, the greatest work is still done with the new buildings. Half of the transactions corresponded to new housing, while in Germany or England they did not exceed 10 percent.

Many young people have the idea of leaving here. What would you say to them?

That I had also emigrated. In Madrid, the United States, the Netherlands, North and South America, Asia… I have lived in many places. Travel is OK. You learn and trust. If I was 28, I would go to Brazil or China, where they're doing a lot of things. The movement is headed eastwards. Either you want it or not, that's right. That doesn't mean I go for a lifetime. In addition, lifestyles and mobility possibilities have changed enormously. When I was young, my father spent two or three years working in Madrid. He traveled by car and therefore came home every fifteen days. When I was on Yahoo! One of my bosses lived in Madrid, had a family in Canada and went every week. The distance from the world and the concepts of time are changing a lot. I educate my children to be competitive around the world. To do this, I have to provide them with tools: roots, languages, education, and that is why the Basque country is very important to have its own point of view. It will therefore be taught in English and dedicated to the world. Go out, look, learn and enjoy. Don't expect anyone from the outside to come and solve your problems at home. What you have to do when you're young is keep all possible doors open.