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If you go back in the history of major car companies you will see plenty of government intervention. For China this is a part of a broader strategy to become le
by chvid 7y ago
If you go back in the history of major car companies you will see plenty of government intervention. For China this is a part of a broader strategy to become less dependent on (imported) fossil fuels.
- chvid 7y agoPS: If you wander around a Chinese city you will see plenty of products sold which seem more silly than a Juicero.
- magduf 7y agoThey probably didn't involve a huge amount of VC investment though.
- AstralStorm 7y agoIndeed. These products need no R&D really and I consider VC funding them a variant scam, except with private funds. However, try to VC say a factory manufacturing metal parts or plastics, nobody will say yes... Heck, try making actual cars or even golf carts on VC money. VC funders are either interested in something completely not speculative and small (eg. EU VC scene) or total moonshots in badly understood markets where no actual R&D is required. If the thing is very speculative research, most VC aren't interested.
- astazangasta 7y agoThe idea of a clean separation between a "command economy" and whatever we have is a myth. The US obviously had a national strategy to encourage the growth of its auto industry, like building a national highway system. Similarly for semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace, oil and gas, etc. If you are spending $1.5 trillion a year in a $16 trillion economy you have a lot to say about its structure.