Live data from Hacker News

Why is China smashing its tech industry?

noahpinion.substack.com

1–10 of 401 posts

Re: Why is China smashing its tech industry?

#2
> Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. [1]

Because cyberspace is ascendant over the old powers. Alas, sure, it's a pretty sad capitalist shell of what cyberspace could be, but it's still striding past the encumbered old giants.

[1] https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independence

Re: Why is China smashing its tech industry?

#3
post #2

> Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. [1] Because cyberspace is ascendant over the old powers. Alas, sure, it's a pretty sad capitalist shell of what cyberspace could be, but it's still striding past the encumbered old giants. [1] https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independ…

I miss being that optimistic. What happened?

Re: Why is China smashing its tech industry?

#4
post #2

> Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. [1] Because cyberspace is ascendant over the old powers. Alas, sure, it's a pretty sad capitalist shell of what cyberspace could be, but it's still striding past the encumbered old giants. [1] https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independ…

I miss being that optimistic. What happened?

and down they forgot/as up they grew

Re: Why is China smashing its tech industry?

#7
post #2

> Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. [1] Because cyberspace is ascendant over the old powers. Alas, sure, it's a pretty sad capitalist shell of what cyberspace could be, but it's still striding past the encumbered old giants. [1] https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independ…

I miss being that optimistic. What happened?

> I miss being that optimistic. What happened?

The optimism turned out to be naive? I mean, regardless of whatever "cyberspace" was originally imagined to be, in actuality it turned out to be bunch of Facebooks. And more often than not it's allowed low-quality garbage to be spread with unprecedented effectiveness.

Or to summarize in 1996 terminology: cyberspace turned out to be land of timecubes.

Re: Why is China smashing its tech industry?

#9
post #6

I think it's because they want their best and brightest working on physics, materials, technological breakthroughs, etc., instead of ad tech.

You’re giving a lot of benefit of the doubt to the dictatorship. Establishing complete control over emerging power structures (tech industry) is more likely to be their goal.

Re: Why is China smashing its tech industry?

#10

They want a big, powerful, capable tech industry... that will never even think of challenging the supremacy of the government. This is their way of reminding the tech sector of that latter part.

This article is more than your classic "the CCP is just making moves to solidify it's own power."

The article claims the actions taken by China also represent real philosophies about what constitutes economic health. They don't want their greatest minds optimizing ad tech or finding tax loop holes.

Post reply on HN