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The Foxconn story is far more nuanced than that. There's been substantial uncertainty in Foxconn's genuine commitment to the project. It's been heavily report

The Foxconn story is far more nuanced than that. There's been substantial uncertainty in Foxconn's genuine commitment to the project. It's been heavily reported on that Foxconn is notorious for failing to follow through on its promises. e.g. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/27/heres-whats-worrisome-about-foxconns-plan-to-build-a-plant-in-the-us-commentary.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/27/heres-whats-worrisome-about-... There's been some great podcasts on the topic. Last I heard Foxconn kept changing their plans of what would actually be manufactured in WI. Initially it was high-tech state of the art stuff, last I heard their plans had shifted to manufacturing somewhat legacy flat panel display technology. I stopped following the story sometime last year though, at the time it sounded like Foxconn was really shafting WI. It benefits Foxconn to drag their feet in executing on what amounts to nothing more than a handshake deal. The more WI invests in that project the stronger Foxconn's position becomes.

zdragnar 7y ago
Foxconn has purchased a number of buildings, but hasn't quite figured out what it wants to do with them. Simply put, it's a huge, multi-billion dollar global company with many, many more things going on that just Wisconsin, and as such a combination of things- most likely internal politics and / or misaligned management- have slowed down, but not stopped, their plans to expand. For example, they're in the process of purchasing a property in Eau Claire, have delayed their plans for madison and green bay, and have a stated goal of a 2020 opening for the data center portion for the mount pleasant office building: https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/north-america/foxconn-s-shifting-wisconsin-plans-now-include-data-center-and-glass-dome https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/north-america/foxconn-s-... Of course, they're getting a lot more in tax breaks per job created in WI than the original plan was (along with fewer total jobs expected), and it's taking longer, so people are understandably upset. I'm wondering if the new plans- datacenter, plus "innovation centers" and basically white collar service jobs- aren't a better long term deal for WI anyway. We tend to lose a lot of those types to Chicago and Minneapolis / St. Paul, and if they actually pan out might slow that drain. The 13k manufacturing jobs certainly would have been nice, nonetheless.
- newnewpdro 7y ago
  This related article is on HN currently https://reason.com/2019/10/24/wisconsins-massive-foxconn-boondoggle-is-getting-worse/ https://reason.com/2019/10/24/wisconsins-massive-foxconn-boo... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350837 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350837

zdragnar 7y ago

Foxconn has purchased a number of buildings, but hasn't quite figured out what it wants to do with them. Simply put, it's a huge, multi-billion dollar global company with many, many more things going on that just Wisconsin, and as such a combination of things- most likely internal politics and / or misaligned management- have slowed down, but not stopped, their plans to expand. For example, they're in the process of purchasing a property in Eau Claire, have delayed their plans for madison and green bay, and have a stated goal of a 2020 opening for the data center portion for the mount pleasant office building: https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/north-america/foxconn-s-shifting-wisconsin-plans-now-include-data-center-and-glass-dome https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/north-america/foxconn-s-... Of course, they're getting a lot more in tax breaks per job created in WI than the original plan was (along with fewer total jobs expected), and it's taking longer, so people are understandably upset. I'm wondering if the new plans- datacenter, plus "innovation centers" and basically white collar service jobs- aren't a better long term deal for WI anyway. We tend to lose a lot of those types to Chicago and Minneapolis / St. Paul, and if they actually pan out might slow that drain. The 13k manufacturing jobs certainly would have been nice, nonetheless.

newnewpdro 7y ago
This related article is on HN currently https://reason.com/2019/10/24/wisconsins-massive-foxconn-boondoggle-is-getting-worse/ https://reason.com/2019/10/24/wisconsins-massive-foxconn-boo... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350837 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350837