Re:I Toured Unitree's Factory. I'm More Bullish on the West
by weitendorf on Saturday November 07, 2026 @07:10AM
(#50403849)
I think you pretty much get exactly what you incentivize (and not necessarily what you claim to want to incentivize).
How many of the most talented people will jump straight in to manufacturing because of policy/macro incentives and shifts in economic policy? You’re making a career, economic/technological, financial, and a personal identity/cultural decision (both who you will be surrounded with and associated with regardless of whether you adhere to the assumptions about it)!
People are much more likely to try something if they see peers and role models doing it. Even better if it’s something fun and exciting that they want to be a part of. Look at how pre GFC finance and then/now tech were seen culturally. Maybe hateable and arguably mostly boring people doing boring work, but also real subcultures that media made understandable even to those well outside of it.
I think to convince someone to run a factory instead of trying to become MTS @ lab, they should at least know 1. it’s not such a binary “make it or break it” bet with bad odds that failure means doing some boring, poorly paid job (the upside is incredibly high, downside also good) 2. it’s interesting and challenging and enjoyable at times 3. it’s important and meaningful at a societal or personal level (even if only money=influence, but better if you see it as a reward for doing something genuinely valuable). This is the pitch that worked for anthropic/google/silicon valley and finance/medicine and what manufacturing is competing against.
Why should someone with other options want to run a factory?
How many of the most talented people will jump straight in to manufacturing because of policy/macro incentives and shifts in economic policy? You’re making a career, economic/technological, financial, and a personal identity/cultural decision (both who you will be surrounded with and associated with regardless of whether you adhere to the assumptions about it)!
People are much more likely to try something if they see peers and role models doing it. Even better if it’s something fun and exciting that they want to be a part of. Look at how pre GFC finance and then/now tech were seen culturally. Maybe hateable and arguably mostly boring people doing boring work, but also real subcultures that media made understandable even to those well outside of it.
I think to convince someone to run a factory instead of trying to become MTS @ lab, they should at least know 1. it’s not such a binary “make it or break it” bet with bad odds that failure means doing some boring, poorly paid job (the upside is incredibly high, downside also good) 2. it’s interesting and challenging and enjoyable at times 3. it’s important and meaningful at a societal or personal level (even if only money=influence, but better if you see it as a reward for doing something genuinely valuable). This is the pitch that worked for anthropic/google/silicon valley and finance/medicine and what manufacturing is competing against.
Why should someone with other options want to run a factory?