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Rinat Zilberstein, VP R&D at AT&T and GM at AT&T Israel R&D Center, was speaking at the Calcalist and Bank Leumi conference in Miami; Nili Shalev, CEO at the Israel Export Institute, clarified that leading international organizations are strengthening ties with Israeli companies; Bruce Taragin from Blumberg Capital: “I strongly believe that Israeli companies worth over $10 billion will emerge in the near future.”
The participants of the panel discussing the challenges of Israeli high-tech expressed confidence in its resilience, especially following the difficult year the industry has endured since October 7. “There is nothing that Israeli high-tech cannot withstand. If it survived the war and the pandemic, it can handle anything,” said Rinat Zilberstein, VP R&D at AT&T and GM at AT&T Israel R&D Center, during the Calcalist and Bank Leumi conference in Miami.
Rinat, how do you respond to the question that likely comes up daily: why should AT&T continue operating in Israel and employing hundreds of workers there?
“I think the past year needs to be divided into two phases: the first months and the rest of the year. In the early part of the year, I wasn’t asked this question at all. We had a lot of responsibility for the products we were developing, and there were doubts about whether Israel was the right place to build such a strategic product. However, after two months, it became clear that we could continue to develop it successfully.
“There is a saying that Israel will always provide the technology. People often wonder how Israel evolved from a nation struggling for survival to one that far exceeds expectations. We’re developing a critical component of artificial intelligence for the company and receive significant support and encouragement for achieving such high-quality leadership.”
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