[DennisP]

Maybe it should, but since the government is not doing it, we're lucky that investors disagree with your assessment. CE, Tokamak Energy, Tri Alpha, General Fusion, and Helion have all gotten substantial private funding. Tri Alpha was over $700M last I checked. One of Helion's investors is YCombinator.

[willis936]

It's a matter of perspective and wager. I wager that the public image cost of failed startups leads to a reduced likelihood that fusion will be properly funded in the next 100 years. Fusion already has a public image deficit to overcome.

One could be optimistic and say the few potential successful startups such as SPARC or potentially successful moonshots such as Helion will lead to more private investors and/or public funding, but it's a community betting its public image when it's already down. I don't have a safer alternative to suggest.

[ncmncm]

Not just a public-image deficit. The $billions already poured down that rathole would take decades for the first fusion plant to pay back, if it had to, before ever achieving the break-even that actually counts. Especially so, when running it only at night after cloudy days when the much cheaper wind, solar, and storage flag.