Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Why China Builds Faster Than the Rest of the World

    September 1, 2025

    Is AI the end of software engineering or the next step in its evolution?

    September 1, 2025

    The Mysterious Shortwave Radio Station Stoking US-Russia Nuclear Fears

    September 1, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Why China Builds Faster Than the Rest of the World
    Business

    Why China Builds Faster Than the Rest of the World

    News RoomBy News RoomSeptember 1, 20253 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    And that requires swallowing our pride here, right? Like we actually need to learn from China, even though US politicians don’t want to admit that.

    Yes. I think that we should all swallow pride. My personal philosophy is that if anyone wants to serve me shit, my answer is always going to be: “Please sir, may I have another?” That’s just how we should all be living.

    Engineering Gone Wrong

    Do you think tech companies prefer operating in an engineer-led country like China rather than America’s lawyerly society?

    Companies generally prefer having some degree of rule by engineers. Because engineers are much more focused on doing very rational things, like figuring out how to build a great subway system. Perhaps their regulations are also more rational.

    That doesn’t mean lawsuits everywhere are bad. Sometimes companies have a great time suing each other and protecting their intellectual property. But, in general, a common sentiment among business elites is that China’s government understands us. You see this with Elon Musk, praising China’s premier who helped him build the Gigafactory in Shanghai.

    But you also wrote recently that entrepreneurs and executives can sometimes feel miserable because the Chinese government changes its mind very abruptly.

    Sometimes it is the case that the engineering state treats a lot of the society and the economy as simply another engineering problem. They try to engineer the population, first from not having kids, and now, into having more kids, or the economy, from valuing profitable sectors to delving too much into sectors that better serve the national interest. And these efforts often backfire, because the economy and society are not relatively simple systems like a really big hydroelectric dam.

    One of the core conclusions you draw is that an engineering-led government is supposed to make more rational decisions. To some degree, I agree with you, but I also don’t know if I can trust the Chinese government to always make a rational decision. That kind of uncertainty, isn’t that bad for companies?

    Yes, I think six years of living in China made me realize that a government could be too efficient.

    This idea of being fixated on a specific target and just charging at it at full speed.

    That’s right. And having lived through the zero-Covid experience, I think something I’ve realized is that the line between rationality and irrationality is kind of blurry.

    Did that experience influence your belief that China should be 50 percent more lawyerly?

    It would be good if people had some way to assert themselves against some of these horrible things, like the one-child policy. I don’t worry that China will ever become quite like the lawyerly society, and be unable to build almost anything at all. It would be great if China could have some actual procedural safeguards, and for the US to have reasonable costs associated with building infrastructure in reasonable timelines, too.


    This is an edition of Zeyi Yang and Louise Matsakis’ Made in China newsletter. Read previous newsletters here.

    If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleIs AI the end of software engineering or the next step in its evolution?

    Related Posts

    Anthropic Settles High-Profile AI Copyright Lawsuit Brought by Book Authors

    August 28, 2025

    Alexis Ohanian’s Next Social Platform Has One Rule: Don’t Act Like an Asshole

    August 27, 2025

    AI Is Eliminating Jobs for Younger Workers

    August 26, 2025

    Elon Musk’s xAI Sues Apple and OpenAI Over App Store Rankings

    August 26, 2025

    A Crypto Micronation Is Making Friends at the White House

    August 26, 2025

    The Trump-Intel Deal Is Official

    August 25, 2025
    Our Picks

    Is AI the end of software engineering or the next step in its evolution?

    September 1, 2025

    The Mysterious Shortwave Radio Station Stoking US-Russia Nuclear Fears

    September 1, 2025

    Chatbots can be manipulated through flattery and peer pressure

    August 31, 2025

    The Verge’s favorite gifts for book lovers

    August 31, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    Meta is struggling to rein in its AI chatbots

    By News RoomAugust 31, 2025

    Meta is changing some of the rules governing its chatbots two weeks after a Reuters…

    AI agents are science fiction not yet ready for primetime

    August 31, 2025

    How to See the Total Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon on September 7

    August 31, 2025

    Verizon’s ‘software issue’ has disconnected many wireless customers across the US

    August 30, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.