MIT files amicus brief concerning executive order restricting travel to US

Re:MIT files amicus brief concerning executive order restric... by greglindahl on Thursday February 16, 2017 @11:40PM (#13665975)

I am not missing the point. I have worked with many amazing people, the more the better. Some are immigrants. Clearly, the total number of amazing people in the US is going to decline if we are unfriendly to immigrants. I want the best country, so I want immigrants.

Sorry that this argument doesn't work for you. But yes, you are engaging in a variant of the "lump of labor" fallacy: the more great people we have, the more innovation we will have.

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Re:MIT files amicus brief concerning executive order restric... by rebootthesystem on Friday February 17, 2017 @04:33AM (#13667043)

Hmm. Not sure how many different ways to say it. I've been very clear.

This isn't about not wanting immigrants.

This is about not creating false reasons for which we claim immigration is necessary or important.

That's it. Simple as that.

> the more great people we have, the more innovation we will have

Absolutely, positively, unequivocally false.

Innovation is NOT a function of quantity.

General Motors has over 200,000 employees.

Tesla had about 900 employees in 2010. They innovated the shit out of a market dominated by giants. And that's the story of every single small team that has disrupted market segments. Read "The Innovator's Dilemma".

More people does not mean more innovation. This is demonstrably false across a wide range of industries.

We do not need to import people to innovate and foster entrepreneurial drive. We have enough smart people already on board.

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