The techno-rivalry that will decide the next century | Dan Wang and Kmele Foster
The Techno-Rivalry That Will Decide the Next Century: A Synopsis
In this compelling discussion between Dan Wang and Kmele Foster, the future of global innovation is scrutinized through the lens of the U.S.-China relationship. The pair explores how China’s rapid development—literally building an America’s worth of highways in staggeringly short timeframes—creates contrasting dynamics with America’s slower, more bureaucratic approach.
Wang highlights how in China, a new vehicle model can reach the market in just 18 months, compared to six years for American automakers. He emphasizes that while China excels in physical engineering and rapid innovation, it faces significant challenges, including a lack of civil liberties that may stifle truly groundbreaking ideas.
The discussion digs deep into how America’s elite, comprised mostly of lawyers, contrasts sharply with China’s engineering-driven leadership. This disparity raises questions about the future: Can the U.S. harness its entrepreneurial spirit to regain manufacturing prowess? Will China’s engineering state continue to thrive, or will its authoritarian tendencies inhibit genuine progress?
Ultimately, Wang and Foster offer a stark but nuanced view of progress, innovation, and the implications of this global rivalry—inviting audiences to ponder the larger stakes for the 21st century and beyond.
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“China has built essentially one New York City plus a Boston’s worth of housing every single year for roughly the last 30 years.”
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What does it mean to witness a society transform at breakneck speed? Kmele Foster and Dan Wang explore the contrasts between the U.S. and China.
Through the lens of immigration, culture, and personal experience, they reveal how policies and national ambition have redefined these two global superpowers.
0:00 China’s rapid progress
7:17 China’s first-tier city wealth boom
11:02 The contrast between China and the U.S.
12:50 American elites as lawyers
17:33 Chinese innovation and competition
21:00 “Made in China”
22:37 American manufacturing challenges
24:56 Autocratic societies and innovation
28:06 One of China’s biggest challenges
31:22 U.S. Tariffs and the trade war
38:06 Law students and the federal government
43:28 The benefit of a lawyerly society
51:37 U.S. and China’s futures
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Video “The techno-rivalry that will decide the next century | Dan Wang and Kmele Foster” was uploaded on 11/20/2025 to Youtube Channel Big Think