Because nerds have lower social status, and sadly due to insane competition for popularity, it's quite hard to become good at math/science without being labeled

Because nerds have lower social status, and sadly due to insane competition for popularity, it's quite hard to become good at math/science without being labeled a nerd. What that means is fewer kids go to STEM schools and become scientists/engineers. This is a pipeline problem caused by culture, it's a very hard problem to fix. For engineers already here, it's actually a good situation, because scarcity drives up wages; for major tech firms, it just means more hiring will be done in their international offices; for startups, it just means a different tradeoff, and having international connection to hire from other countries will become a competitive advantage.