[eastbound]

> It also suspicously starts to look like planned economics

EU certainly is, or we have all signs of it: Most funding for French startups come from the BPI, so the BPI drives everyone to the AI Blockchain TechHR and whatsnot, while…

…while, as an example, and I underline it’s just one example of broader customs, French people regularly take hostage managers in factories for 2 to 10 days, until they sign off an agreement, provided limited supplies of water and food. None of those agreements was cancelled for duress. So we put all public funding into having the next Apple, while not letting actual customer demand drive the economy, and still preventing middle class people from actually going big.

I’m already rich so I try to remain emotionally detached, but when the state drives what should be built (Macron putting 500m into AI, and a billion into Intel chips of the previous-previous generation), it really is a state-driven economy.

[hef19898]

Well, a couple of things: France =|= EU, which should be obvious. Also, you have to put 500 million in context: Liquid Death (canned H2O) has a valuation of 700 million USD, MS dumped 10 billion on OpenAI and Germany burned 500 million on a road toll system that cannot be built because the whole concept is illegal. Someone else already brought up Adam Newman. And now put that in relation to the budget of an entire nation state. Peanuts, actually.

Regarding those Intel chips: Which chips exactly caused the chip crisis? High end latest gen ones or older tech? And now you can guess on which chips the vast, vast majority of national defence hardware runs. That idea actually isn't to bad.

[ClumsyPilot]

> I’m already rich so I try to remain emotionally detached, but when the state drives what should be built

This is simply ahistorical, every developed country got there with the help of the state.

Did the interstate highway system get built by venture capital? Did the power grid?

Western governments are no longer capable of these kind of major projects.

London is running out of water.

United Kingdom has huge canals connecting manchester, London, and Birmingham. They were dug without industrial machinery. With shovels.

When I propose to English people that there is plenty of water in scotland and maybe they should expand canals network and repurpose it to redistribute water, they think its madness. Some kind of unachievable, socialist plan.

China has built a canal network to redistrubute water. That why they will be earing our lunch - actually its their own lunch. We arent making lunch, we are wondering why market didn’t bring us lunch.

[imtringued]

If you are rich you could have done your part. It is really easy. All you have to do is read some books and then start a fintech (expected budget: 20 million USD, less if you can find a cooperating banking partner) and then all the things you complain about will disappear and you will even earn money in the process. I am dead serious.