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Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

politico.com

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Re: Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

#11

Post by judk »

adc82 wrote: post #10

Detroit has a myriad of problems, but I think this could be great for the city. A big problem with Detroit is that it's a huge city, but a lot of people have left, so there are whole neighborhoods with only a few residents. This makes it hard common government services such as garbage pick up and police force to cover the whole city. The government could provide incentives for any entrepreneurs willing to come to Det…

Instead of drones and cars, perhaps it would be simpler to just relocate individuals and businesses toward downtown.

Re: Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

#12

Post by jqm »

"if we think of airspace as the next Internet-like platform.."

What? Did I read the correctly? No offense but this piece seems a bit off kilter. It's one thing to make money investing in things like social network websites, yet another to demand some kind of government sanctioned libertarian utopia and expect all kinds of foolish (and sometimes outright anti-social) schemes will bear fruit or even ever be permitted to grow beyond a certain socially tolerable size... Galt's Gulch was a fictional place and likely always will be. As long as the current system (on which the "innovators" rely) is in place anyway.

Re: Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

#13

Post by ekianjo »

qbrass wrote: post #8
IvyMike wrote: post #3

I wonder if he picked Robocop city on purpose.

The prophecy must be fulfilled. Joking aside, the reasoning behind choosing Detroit in real life isn't much different than OCP choosing it in the movies. The city's broke, has crime problems, and you sell people on the idea of bringing it back to it's former glory.

"The Future has a Silver Lining" :)

Re: Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

#15

Post by rdl »

msujaws wrote: post #5

Why drone valley and not autonomous vehicle valley? Seems more prime for the motor city. Not to mention, Detroit already has some large neighborhoods that are mostly vacant and the roads could be shifted over to test grounds for the autonomous vehicles. Michigan endures extremes in all four seasons, as compared to Santa Clara County which has pretty moderate weather year round. But I don't think Marc was specifically…

There's an argument that autonomous vehicles will cannibalize vehicle sales overall, or at least destroy the existing investments of automakers, so it's in Detroit's interest to delay them as long as possible.

Re: Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

#16

Post by [deleted] »

rdl wrote: post #15
msujaws wrote: post #5

Why drone valley and not autonomous vehicle valley? Seems more prime for the motor city. Not to mention, Detroit already has some large neighborhoods that are mostly vacant and the roads could be shifted over to test grounds for the autonomous vehicles. Michigan endures extremes in all four seasons, as compared to Santa Clara County which has pretty moderate weather year round. But I don't think Marc was specifically…

There's an argument that autonomous vehicles will cannibalize vehicle sales overall, or at least destroy the existing investments of automakers, so it's in Detroit's interest to delay them as long as possible.

[deleted]

Re: Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

#17

Post by judk »

h1karu wrote: post #6

>Provide incentives to attract scientists, firms and users; > Establish a favorable business environment and regulations. > Except … this approach to innovation clusters hasn’t really worked. Some have even dismissed these government-driven efforts as “modern-day snake oil.” I would argue that such an approach has never actually been attempted only lip service has been paid. The types of solutions you describe above…

Las Vegas is big because of the gambling money, not tax structure. Compare to the rest of the state.

Re: Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

#18

Post by l33tbro »

msujaws wrote: post #5

Why drone valley and not autonomous vehicle valley? Seems more prime for the motor city. Not to mention, Detroit already has some large neighborhoods that are mostly vacant and the roads could be shifted over to test grounds for the autonomous vehicles. Michigan endures extremes in all four seasons, as compared to Santa Clara County which has pretty moderate weather year round. But I don't think Marc was specifically…

Specialization may be key. Detroit certainly has a long history of it. Before motor manafacturing, the area was one of the largest hubs in the fur trade.

But I still think, eventually, that the Detroit renaissance will be brought on by a broader set of influences (a combination of artists, startups, and tech manufacturing moving in and redefining the city).

Re: Marc Andreessen: Turn Detroit Into Drone Valley

#19

Post by wallflower »

msujaws wrote: post #5

Why drone valley and not autonomous vehicle valley? Seems more prime for the motor city. Not to mention, Detroit already has some large neighborhoods that are mostly vacant and the roads could be shifted over to test grounds for the autonomous vehicles. Michigan endures extremes in all four seasons, as compared to Santa Clara County which has pretty moderate weather year round. But I don't think Marc was specifically…

Also, Michigan is one of those states where you can drive literally anything, even experimental, on the road (no state car inspection).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_Unite...

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