Amazing read, but I disagree with this simplistic political conclusion: > Second, at some point every tech company is going to have to make a choice between th

Amazing read, but I disagree with this simplistic political conclusion: > Second, at some point every tech company is going to have to make a choice between the U.S. and China. It is tempting to blame the tension between the two countries on Trump, but the truth is that China, particularly under Xi Jinping, has been significantly hardening its rhetoric and actions since before Trump was elected, and has been committed to not just catching but surpassing the U.S. in technology for years. There is a fundamental clash of values between the West and China, and it is clear that China is interested in exporting theirs. At some point everyone will be stuck in the middle, like TSMC, and Switzerland won’t be an option. If Cold War has taught us anything, it’s that display of force didn’t yield anything. Dialogue and exporting values did. So yes, absolutely: the escalation is Trump’s fault, because of the insufferable rhetoric of his warmongering hawks. Xi Jinping is a way more tactical and dialogue oriented leader (not a positive judgement on official PRC values, of course) that is being defeated by the proverbial pigeon shitting on the board during a game of chess. Decoupling from China is easily sellable as the anti-communist propaganda in the 50s, but the harsh reality is that in today’s world it means recklessly hammering pieces off of the global economy jenga tower, and hoping it will stay up. Dialogue and severely regulated exchange with the potential enemy is the real weapon that could weaken China. Putting human rights on the table when it comes to trade treaties, for example. Instead, there’s a resurgence of scary nationalism that is exactly what brought the world on the brink of collapse 75 years ago. If I had to choose two words, right now, I would go with “brace brace”.