7 ms·

^it's crazy to me usa hasn't brought chip mfg in sooner, but easy to say in hindsight

seventytwo 3y ago
Well, we’ve been of the collective mindset that internationalizing supply chains is best, for multiple reasons. And, under the right conditions, that may be true. However, the world is becoming morr multi-polar, so the calculations are changing. Lots of political, economic, and social inertia…
- WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
  > we’ve been of the collective mindset that internationalizing supply chains is best, for multiple reasons. Ultimately (multimately?) the collective mindset is of the investors and execs who directly, financially benefit from those reasons. I know this is a narrow lens with which to view pub+corp financial decisions. But it keeps producing such stunningly accurate pictures and I find it hard to not use it.
  - pm90 3y ago
    I think thats a very simplistic view. Yes labor is cheaper in Asia. But the other factor is the availability of a certain kind of labor force. You need a lot of people that are highly skilled to operate these facilities. There isn’t that kind of workforce available in NA today.
    - WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
      > I think thats a very simplistic view. I think you're right and I'm not wrong. Wile picking apart the complexities, the drive to maximize profit will be a factor popping up again and again.
- edgyquant 3y ago
  No “we” haven’t. Half of the ultra rich and the cadre of their supporters have, while most Americans have always though this was stripping them of their wealth and destroying their communities. To the point when offshoring began they were told every lie about how this would be a benefit to them.
  - Workaccount2 3y ago
    Globalization has been a boon for just about anyone with a white collar job. It's not limited to the ultra rich at all. While the middle class sure has shrunk, the life those in it live is markedly more materialistic than in the past. Fifty years ago there was no Temu, Alibaba, or Amazon TYEVRRTY brands to deck out facet of your life once you clear the cost of basic living. Houses are expensive as ever, but filling them has never been so cheap.
    - DinoCoder99 3y ago
      Turns out people want more from the market than a 401k and a cheap tv. Specifically a stable place to live with reliable employment and decent healthcare is worth sacrificing a hell of a lot for.
      - Workaccount2 3y ago
        Most white collar workers have that. HN is packed with people who own homes, are highly employable, have excellent healthcare, and disposal income to splurge on consumerism. The internet/social me is so hyper focused on those at the bottom that they have lost sight of what its like just a few levels up. But it's critical to understand in order to craft functional solutions.
        edgyquant 3y ago
        Why are you under the impression white collar workers are all workers and the only ones that matter? You also are, again, assuming your statistics imply something about their politics

Well, we’ve been of the collective mindset that internationalizing supply chains is best, for multiple reasons. And, under the right conditions, that may be true. However, the world is becoming morr multi-polar, so the calculations are changing. Lots of political, economic, and social inertia…

WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
> we’ve been of the collective mindset that internationalizing supply chains is best, for multiple reasons. Ultimately (multimately?) the collective mindset is of the investors and execs who directly, financially benefit from those reasons. I know this is a narrow lens with which to view pub+corp financial decisions. But it keeps producing such stunningly accurate pictures and I find it hard to not use it.
- pm90 3y ago
  I think thats a very simplistic view. Yes labor is cheaper in Asia. But the other factor is the availability of a certain kind of labor force. You need a lot of people that are highly skilled to operate these facilities. There isn’t that kind of workforce available in NA today.
  - WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
    > I think thats a very simplistic view. I think you're right and I'm not wrong. Wile picking apart the complexities, the drive to maximize profit will be a factor popping up again and again.
edgyquant 3y ago
No “we” haven’t. Half of the ultra rich and the cadre of their supporters have, while most Americans have always though this was stripping them of their wealth and destroying their communities. To the point when offshoring began they were told every lie about how this would be a benefit to them.
- Workaccount2 3y ago
  Globalization has been a boon for just about anyone with a white collar job. It's not limited to the ultra rich at all. While the middle class sure has shrunk, the life those in it live is markedly more materialistic than in the past. Fifty years ago there was no Temu, Alibaba, or Amazon TYEVRRTY brands to deck out facet of your life once you clear the cost of basic living. Houses are expensive as ever, but filling them has never been so cheap.
  - DinoCoder99 3y ago
    Turns out people want more from the market than a 401k and a cheap tv. Specifically a stable place to live with reliable employment and decent healthcare is worth sacrificing a hell of a lot for.
    - Workaccount2 3y ago
      Most white collar workers have that. HN is packed with people who own homes, are highly employable, have excellent healthcare, and disposal income to splurge on consumerism. The internet/social me is so hyper focused on those at the bottom that they have lost sight of what its like just a few levels up. But it's critical to understand in order to craft functional solutions.
      - edgyquant 3y ago
        Why are you under the impression white collar workers are all workers and the only ones that matter? You also are, again, assuming your statistics imply something about their politics