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Re:Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Leaked Stanford Talk by HDThoreaun on Friday August 16, 2024 @03:38PM (#41269619)
I want cheap solar and EV even if it means domestic manufacturers that can’t compete go out of business.
Re:Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Leaked Stanford Talk by sangnoir on Friday August 16, 2024 @05:59PM (#41270763)
I understand that. Your national government (or politicians) will likely disagree.
Re:Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Leaked Stanford Talk by HDThoreaun on Friday August 16, 2024 @08:30PM (#41271505)
I dont see how that is true at all. The textile industry has completely left the western world and no one is complaining(other than the luddites I guess). Solar manufacturing isnt very different from textiles. Protectionism just leads to expensive goods, 95% of people gain under free trade.
Re:Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Leaked Stanford Talk by sangnoir on Sunday August 18, 2024 @01:00AM (#41280216)
So what's your mental model for the protectionism by the US against Chinese EVs and batteries despite the push for renewables by the same administration?

> The textile industry has completely left the western world and no one is complaining(other than the luddites I guess).

This was a very gradual process (over centuries), and they weren't really happy about it either. It wasn't just the Luddites who were upset when Samuel Slater (a.k.a. "Slater the traitor") left England and helped set up a competing textile industry in North America.

For self-preservation purposes, no politician will willingly sacrifice jobs at existing regional or national champions[1], regardless of how noble the goal is: politicians get voted out of office for far less. The best we can hope for, is a slow steady decline of harmful industries (see coal).

1. The US will treat Boeing with kid gloves rather than gift the market to Airbus, even though Boeing has a terrible safety culture and not exactly competing on merit. The same goes for VW in Germany, Arianespace in France, Samsung in Korea, Huawei in China, etc.

Re:Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Leaked Stanford Talk by fragmede on Friday August 16, 2024 @07:14PM (#41271213)
If the government just gave away money, and paid your salary, your employees salary, your rent, your purchase costs on manufacturing equipment costs, I'd find it hard to compete with you too, given than I'm not a billionaire and would need to raise capital from investors.