How LA Is Quietly Becoming America's New Industrial Tech Hub

In a live recording of the Odd Lots podcast, hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway sat down with Chris Power, founder of Hadrian, and Tom Mueller, founder of Impulse Space, to discuss the surprising reindustrialization efforts taking place in Southern California. The conversation challenged the prevailing narrative that the US has lost its manufacturing edge, highlighting the innovative companies and unique ecosystem emerging in the region.

The Folly of Financialization: Why Manufacturing Matters

Chris Power opened the discussion by outlining a historical pattern of great powers: they achieve dominance through industrial capacity, then become "incredibly lazy," shifting to financial industries and offshoring what made them successful. This leads to a loss of the reserve currency, as seen with the Dutch ceding power to the British, and the British to the Americans. Power argues that the US is currently in a similar "fourth turning," having spent the last decade focused on digital and financial pursuits, forgetting the importance of being the world's largest industrial superpower. He emphasizes that ultimately, "hard power wins politics," and a nation's ability to produce physical goods is paramount. He starkly notes that in any war game, the US missile inventory would be expended in seven days, while China produced 2600 ships last year compared to the US's six. This, he contends, is a critical vulnerability.