Tom Friedman

Yeah, I can't speak to the espionage. I just don't know. And you get into these kind of Washington conversations with officials where it goes like, if only you knew what I knew, you would be more worried. And my reaction to that is, I wish I knew what you knew because it would put everything more in perspective.

Yeah, I can't speak to the espionage. I just don't know. And you get into these kind of Washington conversations with officials where it goes like, if only you knew what I knew, you would be more worried. And my reaction to that is, I wish I knew what you knew because it would put everything more in perspective.

But I also, part of my reaction to that too, Ezra, is that I hope we're doing the same to them. I hope we're spying and conducting whatever we need to do for our national security purposes.

But I also, part of my reaction to that too, Ezra, is that I hope we're doing the same to them. I hope we're spying and conducting whatever we need to do for our national security purposes.

But the notion that they can't innovate, what gives the lie to that, as if you talk to American businesses who operate in China or European businesses who operate in China, what they'll tell you is that we first came here for the market. And now we come here to be close to the innovation.

But the notion that they can't innovate, what gives the lie to that, as if you talk to American businesses who operate in China or European businesses who operate in China, what they'll tell you is that we first came here for the market. And now we come here to be close to the innovation.

That we cannot basically be in touch with the cutting edge of our field, particularly in autos, unless you're here. So China realized it could not compete with combustion vehicles with America. And so it took the decision to leapfrog them right to EVs and ultimately autonomous driving cars. It did so by basically having its smartphone companies become car companies.

That we cannot basically be in touch with the cutting edge of our field, particularly in autos, unless you're here. So China realized it could not compete with combustion vehicles with America. And so it took the decision to leapfrog them right to EVs and ultimately autonomous driving cars. It did so by basically having its smartphone companies become car companies.

So when I came to China after COVID, I said, whoa. When I was last here, Xiaomi was a phone company. I came back, they were a car company. When I was here last, Huawei was a phone company. I came back, they were a car company. And so basically they put their cell phones on wheels. And the reason this is important is that when you get into a Didi, Didi's their Uber, and

So when I came to China after COVID, I said, whoa. When I was last here, Xiaomi was a phone company. I came back, they were a car company. When I was here last, Huawei was a phone company. I came back, they were a car company. And so basically they put their cell phones on wheels. And the reason this is important is that when you get into a Didi, Didi's their Uber, and

It is a seamless digital experience from the rest of your life. It syncs up with your cell phone. I rode in a Huawei car when I was just there. I was riding with someone from Huawei. He took out his laptop, pulled down a screen that came out of the ceiling, and his laptop immediately synced with that screen, and he was working in the car. He says, what would you like to see?

It is a seamless digital experience from the rest of your life. It syncs up with your cell phone. I rode in a Huawei car when I was just there. I was riding with someone from Huawei. He took out his laptop, pulled down a screen that came out of the ceiling, and his laptop immediately synced with that screen, and he was working in the car. He says, what would you like to see?

Do you want to see anything? I said, yeah. Get me Paul Simon's concert in London's Hyde Park. I'd like to watch that on the way to your campus. It was up in, I'd say, about 30 seconds. The sound, Ezra, you know how you buy cars now every two years and they always say, it's got Dolby surround, yada, yada. I have never in my life heard sound like this in a moving vehicle.

Do you want to see anything? I said, yeah. Get me Paul Simon's concert in London's Hyde Park. I'd like to watch that on the way to your campus. It was up in, I'd say, about 30 seconds. The sound, Ezra, you know how you buy cars now every two years and they always say, it's got Dolby surround, yada, yada. I have never in my life heard sound like this in a moving vehicle.

it is just so far ahead of anything I've seen here. Volkswagen, for instance, I met with their China head when I was there. They've got a whole facility there, they call it, in China for China, that unless you're competing with the best, what my friend Jörg Wittke, the head of the European Union Chamber of Commerce calls the China Fitness Club, unless you're in the gym with them,

it is just so far ahead of anything I've seen here. Volkswagen, for instance, I met with their China head when I was there. They've got a whole facility there, they call it, in China for China, that unless you're competing with the best, what my friend Jörg Wittke, the head of the European Union Chamber of Commerce calls the China Fitness Club, unless you're in the gym with them,

Yeah, because what you see, Ezra, when you're there is the product of 30 years of being in the fitness gym. And it's a particularly Chinese fitness gym. And it kind of works like this. New industry comes along, let's call it solar panels. Every major city in China decides they need a solar panel factory.

Yeah, because what you see, Ezra, when you're there is the product of 30 years of being in the fitness gym. And it's a particularly Chinese fitness gym. And it kind of works like this. New industry comes along, let's call it solar panels. Every major city in China decides they need a solar panel factory.

And the local government subsidizes it, maybe domestically born, maybe a partnership with a foreign one, maybe a foreign one. And you end up in a very short period of time, I'm making the number up, but with 75 solar panel companies. They then compete like crazy against each other in the fitness gym, and five of them survive.

And the local government subsidizes it, maybe domestically born, maybe a partnership with a foreign one, maybe a foreign one. And you end up in a very short period of time, I'm making the number up, but with 75 solar panel companies. They then compete like crazy against each other in the fitness gym, and five of them survive.