[omot]

I think the question we should really be asking ourselves is why so many valuable tech companies hail from the US, specifically the bay area. Having grown up in the Bay Area, there weren't any more special focus on mathematics / computer science in school, in fact we were encouraged to pursue whatever we wanted to pursue. If we felt like we were bad at math, we weren't forced into it, we should only pursue math if we really liked it. Most of my friends never made it past pre-calc, yet top tech talent from Russia come to the US, and end up working at wall street / silicon valley. Sergey Brin comes to mind. I don't think we should really focus on improving our mathematician/hacker pipeline, we should make sure we're cultivating a culture of freedom where people can explore and pursue different fields of academics, and make sure there's no barrier to talent working for us.

[samangan]

The origins of Silicon Valley being a technological hub go back all the way to WWII and the economy of the early computer industry. So, I feel the USA being an economic and military superpower is a pretty easy explanation for why 'Silicon Valley' exists in the bay area today and not somewhere else. Obviously, there have been many years and many technological revolutions since those early days but there are pretty clear trails of people, and money leading all the way back.

As far as trying to answer why so many other countries consistently beat America in math and technology I think a small answer can be gleaned from your statement: "we were encouraged to pursue whatever we wanted to pursue." That is not all that common in many countries and cultures in the world. I think a lot of it has to do with economic or political desperation. I have worked with people who learned how to code because they didn't even have running water in their village in India and programming was a way out. Or more relevant to this story, they lived in a Russian town and got a PhD in engineering so they could come to America and be an engineer. These types of stories are very, very common in the Bay Area. Looking at the education systems is helpful, but I think you need a real driving force to get most people motivated to learn difficult things.

[omot]

I'm not sure I could attribute the technology hub we see to WWII. Most technology advancement in America was happening in Bell Labs during WWII (The lab was located in New Jersey).

[elefanten]

I think those are different questions: why should we teach CS and what ecosystem properties create business value.

But as for the Silicon Valley question... it gets asked and debated a LOT. Especially here on HN, I'd say.

[zxcmx]

Network effects and a unique investment cycle are the root causes IMHO. It's a machine that vacuums up talent, powered by money.