3d ago

Why are americans so good at software engineering?

Americans are terrible at building transit infrastructure. They struggle to build basic metro extensions for the New York subway. California is still struggling to build high speed rail. Any infrastructure project is always extraordinarily expensive and slow.

Americans are terrible at urbanism. Their road design is a disaster.

American struggle at manufacturing. Their cars simply aren't reliable. They are a joke. They struggle to make computer chips. Intel is failing. Both Biden and Trump asked TSMC to come to the US

Yet americans are exceptionally good at software

Why?

16 comments

I'm not certain I agree that they are exceptional.
Two-thirds of Silicon Valley tech workers are foreign-born, new report reveals
https://www.siliconvalley.com/2025/03/11/two-thirds-of-silicon-valley-tech-workers-foreign-new-report/
- They're good at taking credit for others accomplishments.
- This. I am a Silicon Valley manager, been hiring & managing teams for 25 years. For the same budget I can bring on 1 developer in California, vs 2-3 in Mexico or India.
  TBH the quality of engineer has very little to do with their nationality. It has a lot more to do with what school they went to. It depends most on how much fire 🔥 is in their belly.
- But how many are Americans (presumable some have gone out and gotten citizenship)? I think there is something to be said for the kind of people we attract to the country. Lots of them are really talented.
Excuse me, have you ever heard of Microsoft?
- My thoughts exactly, it's gone pretty much to shit lately. Even Google disappoints more often nowadays.
Unpopular opinion: Immigration probably has a lot to do with it. Tech pays really well and they can recruit talent from across the globe (and bring them together in the US). You don't hear too much about infrastructure or manufacturing industries recruiting on top talent from across the globe (they do rely on them for staffing shortages, but they are not seeking them out the same way tech scours the globe for employees).
- Not even unpopular. Lady Liberty herself says so on her plaque. That whole thing about the melting pot, too.
  Edit: it is less popular today amongst chuds
Too many cooks when it comes to infrastructure. Everyone is trying to get a piece of the pie so they fight and undercut each other until the cheapest option is chosen. Then the contractor cuts corners to keep more of the money. It's all just a scam or grift all the way down.
Meanwhile software can be built by one guy coding in his basement.
America makes doing real things hard, and imaginary things easy.
Are they?
Could you please provide some examples of the software you have in mind that leads you to believe Americans are uniquely good at it?
Because we’re used to overly complicated terrible shit
I don’t think they’re exceptional but I think they have the resources to try things other countries simply can’t. Individuals from different countries are particularly exceptional but if you look through history all the inventions are artistic creations have always come from the countries with the most disposable income / resources.
Infrastructure is a domestic problem. Software is global.
From what I understand, the US had poor transit infrastructure because of a combination of having most of the population scattered across a few metropolitan areas within a huge territory, problems with funding because transit-related decisions are made at a local instead of federal level, cheap gas (compared to the rest of the world), and lobbying from the automobile industry.
The culture in the US encourages, or at least encouraged, entrepreneurship. It invested heavily in software research and development since the beginning and had access to brilliant minds from around the world to contribute to that, and they had the advantage of early entry to that market.
Software affects the world beyond the US, and it follows that there is more profit to be made there than from investment in transit infrastructure. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong or missing any points.
Because we have or had a relatively free market that attracts talent and isn’t overly burdensome to operate a business in.

16 comments