This case study is based on research conducted primarily in 2018 and which formed the basis for Zachary Lerangis’ recent article on the physicist Leo Szilard in @palladiummag, which you can read here:
Bismarck Analysis occasionally makes select analytical products available to the general public. This is the second case study we have released.
The first case study, on machine tools and advanced manufacturing, was released in 2020. You can read it here bismarckanalysis.com/Machine_Tools_…
The machine tools case study also formed the basis for the excellent @palladiummag article by @benlandautaylor and @OberonDL on how state capacity drives industrialization, which you can read here:
As a coda for this storm of threads, I highlight some additional notable episodes in the history of relationships between scientists and statesmen during this era:
Sony is the world leader in image sensor semiconductor manufacturing, the largest video game company by revenue, the second-largest music publishing company, and the fourth-largest film studio.
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Sony has been a global leader in consumer electronics innovation for decades, through products like the Walkman portable audio player, the compact disc (CD), Blu-ray, and the PlayStation game console.
Taking this essay seriously has only yielded benefits over the years. It is the main reason I've refused to join or identify with a movement for the last decade.
People who implore you to join one, point to the benefits of group strategies.
I think on the margin the benefits of group strategies are greatly exaggerated in our society.
I think we'd all be better off if we as took more effort as individuals and small teams, and less joining movements.
Arm is a small company with a big role. It designs central processing units (CPUs) using the ARM instruction set architecture, patented intellectual property which it also widely licenses.
Over 280 billion chips have been shipped using ARM architectures.
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ARM architectures are simpler and more power-efficient than their primary rival, Intel's x86 architectures.
As a result, Arm has powered the entire mobile computing revolution, and is now finally expanding into personal computers and servers. Macbooks have switched to ARM.
Since 2023, Raytheon is no longer an independent company, but a subsidiary of the newly-named RTX Corporation.
Raytheon is one of the company's three distinct "business units": aircraft components manufacturer Collins Aerospace, engine maker Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon.
With 185,000 employees—70% of whom are in the U.S.—and a market capitalization over $150 billion, RTX ought to be one of the most dynamic and important industrial players in the U.S.
But in reality, RTX is not a mission-driven company at all, but a financial portfolio.