> I also think it’s important that I maintain my reputation as someone who’s always building things, not destroying things. So, I decided it’s probably better for somebody else to [direct the DOE hub].
Really inspiring and hearth-warming to see a scientist to consider the full impact of their work, in such a direct way, and then not only thinking these things, but also acting on them to ensure she feels right with what she does. We really need more of these types of people in the world :)
What makes anyone think that China as government won't do exactly what she fears, which is putting this battery technology inside drones, or humanoids for war fighting? The difference here is China won't ask.
the point is they themselves didn't want to _explicitly_ design components for specific forms of military usage
and they no longer feel safe to not be pressured by the US to do so
but that isn't even the main reason for moving mentioned in the article which are (in order they appear in): reduced funding, moving away from electrification, immigration policies and then the previous point
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as a side note your comment did sound a bit like you think Singapore is China, in the unlikely case you did idk. mix it up with Honkon: it isn't China in any form it was
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/human-rights-index-vdem?t...
Probably it isn't a perfect country, probably no country is.
but reading the article helps
her reason wasn't some my tech shouldn't be bad people high moral ground but that she felt she can't do here work on here previous job anymore and the next job happened to be in Singapore, and the reasoning in order was also
- reduced funding / many projects getting side lined
- US moving away from decarbonization
- immigration policies discrimination against Chinese born people (even if they have left Chinese citizenship behind/are US citizens)
- and here not wanting to be put in a position where she is pressured to work directly on batteries for weapon systems like drones (!= general use systems being used in a military context)
so she chose Singapore because someone in Singapore presented here with a good job offer where she doesn't have to worry about this things
i.e. this isn't about the US being "evil" and Singapore being better, but about the US no longer being as good a place for civilian use battery production scientist
I don’t have the perspective to really say I know what’s going on, but I trust the scientist knows her business and her industry well enough to make a call for herself.
Do you have anything specific to show she’s making the wrong decision?
Meng took the job because she thinks the U.S. has turned away from a commitment to decarbonize its economy.
The Trump administration’s immigration policiesThat's not to "whatabout" it, but I do find it interesting how blind we are to our own delusions.
Choices and decisions. And what of the scientific community in the US who don’t have ties abroad? Who don’t choose to leave the country?
If the government isn’t funding research, and a university position is not open, then you have to turn to industry. And if that doesn’t turn up, then you’re the most overqualified… librarian?
I’m thinking about the more diffused pattern of students with the aptitude and disposition for science going into industry. Is this the environment which drives more manufacturing in the US?
Is this the vision the administration is chasing? (If you look past the racism and corruption, and presume there is an economic outcome the president and all of the republican congress appears to support him for?)