[zenXusa] -[Pale Blue Dot] - 0042
This week in Silicon Valley and Beyond
What to Know Selling into the US Market - Week of November 10th, 2024
Before we jump in, tomorrow is a holiday in the USA (Veterans Day).
Good morning zenXusa 🪷,
Sleeping on a hot cardboard box in a hot room in a hot corner of hot studio in Seville, Spain a young man who became a dear friend introduced me to a speech that would influence my life when I was feeling a loss for words at the state of global humanity.
Having dropped out of university for a year while studying in France, I found myself in small corner of Seville, a full course load in Spanish and little to no friends.
Between apartments, I offered this Oklahoma vagabond a spot on the floor in my girlfriend and I’s studio as he looked for a new place to live. He became a great friend at a time when I needed anything above a half-decent friend.
There are some people you meet in this lifetime you would describe as: a good person, a good human, a good egg, great vibes, lovely auora. Those people would dim in comparison to this person.
One month we all saved up our money and found ourselves sharing 1 euro beers and trading videos and books until the early morning. He shared this video with me that night and it has stuck with me ever since.
"The spacecraft was a long way from home. I thought it would be a good idea, just after Saturn, to have them take one last glance homeward. From Saturn, the Earth would appear too small for Voyager to make out any detail. Our planet would be just a point of light, a lonely pixel hardly distinguishable from the other points of light Voyager would see: nearby planets, far off suns. But precisely because of the obscurity of our world thus revealed, such a picture might be worth having."
"It had been well understood by the scientists and philosophers of classical antiquity that the Earth was a mere point in a vast, encompassing cosmos -- but no one had ever seen it as such. Here was our first chance, and perhaps also our last."
"So, here they are: a mosaic of squares laid down on top of the planets in a background smattering of more distant stars. Because of the reflection of sunlight off the spacecraft, the Earth seems to be sitting in a beam of light, as if there were some special significance to this small world; but it's just an accident of geometry and optics. There is no sign of humans in this picture: not our reworking of the Earth's surface; not our machines; not ourselves. From this vantage point, our obsession with nationalism is nowhere in evidence. We are too small. On the scale of worlds, humans are inconsequential: a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump of rock and metal."
"Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you've ever heard of, every human being who ever was lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings; thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines; every hunter and forager; every hero and coward; every creator and destroyer of civilizations; every king and peasant, every young couple in love; every mother and father; every hopeful child; every inventor and explorer; every teacher of morals; every corrupt politician; every supreme leader; every superstar; every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there -- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."
"The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena”
“Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner. How frequent their misunderstandings; how eager they are to kill one another; how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light."
"Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand."
"It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the only home we've ever known: the pale blue dot."
The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by Voyager 1 from a record distance, showing it against the vastness of space. By request of Carl Sagan, NASA commanded the Voyager 1 spacecraft, having completed its primary mission and now leaving the Solar System, to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space.
Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot
Live long and prosper.
Happy Hunting,
Joshua
Our Sales Recommendation of the Week 🎙️📚
Read this article - Project 2025: The right-wing wish list for another Trump presidency
This Week in US News by Industry 🔑🌀
Dive into this week's essential industry updates from across the US, as well as their implications for foreign founders looking to enter the US Market (specifically focused on the US presidential elections this week).
Advanced Manufacturing ⛓️🧲
AM Advancements in AI - Researchers have developed an AI-enabled closed-loop system for Melt Electrowriting (MEW) 3D printing to address speed, scalability, and user-dependent operations challenges. Read more about the research findings, which demonstrate how, employing computer vision and neural networks, this new system automates real-time process control, optimizing output and making MEW more feasible for industry-level applications. (link)
Why is this important to you?
For founders in the AM industry, this innovation highlights new opportunities to enhance precision, efficiency and scalability in producing complex biomedical and engineering materials, through the implementation of AI. This is an interesting opportunity for the AM and AI spaces to collaborate.
AI 🤖🦾
AI Trump Policy Impact - Since Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election earlier this week, experts have been analyzing how could shift AI policy towards reduced regulations, thus fostering an environment favoring innovation in AI’s private sector. Learn more about the predicted “pros and cons” these sorts of advancements would bring by accelerating advancements but raising concerns about ethical implications and workforce impact. (link)
Why is this important to you?
Understanding potential regulatory changes in AI is crucial as they affect tech innovation, economic growth, and societal norms, especially in such a tense political environment. For founders of AI companies or those who heavily rely on AI in general, shifts in policy could influence compliance, business strategies, and global tech competition.
Automotive 🏎️⛽️
Trump in Detroit - With another Trump-presidency-related update, his presidency could significantly influence Detroit's automakers, with potential policy shifts affecting the United Auto Workers, EV production mandates, and international trade. Learn more about his administration's predicted plan to alter current emission standards and reshape electric vehicle initiatives, affecting both industry regulations and consumer trends. (link)
Why is this important to you?
Understanding politically driven policy changes is vital for auto startups working to enter the US market, as they can impact job stability, innovation, and the future direction of the US and international auto industry.
Financial Services 💰🪙
Trump’s Tariffs - While Trump’s economic promises, such as heightened tariffs on imports (which are even heavier on Chinese goods), intended to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign products, they could be counterproductive. Learn more about expert’s fears that these tariffs could escalate prices for Americans, spike inflation, and drive trade wars that hurt American exporters and global markets. (link)
Why is this important to you?
Trump’s proposed tariff policies could challenge foreign startups, making it harder for them to succeed in the US market due to higher costs. It is important to keep these policies in mind when making GTM strategies that take into account policies that will likely be implemented.
Healthcare 🏥🩻
Vaccine Policy ‘Revamp’? - Donald Trump has recently made headlines with his comments on vaccines, which reflect a potential shift in policy once he is back in the White House. While previously supportive of rapid vaccine development under Operation Warp Speed, learn more about how Trump's current statements indicate a more critical stance, aligning with concerns from certain voter bases.(link)
Why is this important to you?
For foreign startups in health and pharma, Trump's evolving vaccine rhetoric could signal changes in public health policy and funding priorities in the US, impacting collaborative research and regulatory environments for new vaccines and healthcare solutions.
Technology 📡🛰️
Trump’s Tech Changes - A second Trump presidency presents potentially complex challenges for US tech firms, involving potential regulatory shifts on AI development, antitrust enforcement, and international competition with China. As reported by The Guardian, read more about how Trump’s administration may both amplify and limit power in the tech industry, with implications for global market competition and geopolitical tech strategies. (link)
Why is this important to you?
For foreign tech startups, shifts in US policy under the incoming Trump administration could lead to stricter market entry conditions, changes in global partnerships, and evolving data privacy regulations. Keeping these potential developments top of mind is crucial, given its power to affect international collaborations in the short term.
US Cultural Events 🏈
As you can imagine, US cultural news largely revolves around the US presidential elections that took this place this week. I have included some sources that you can review for more information:
Presidential Election Maps - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0lp48ldgyeo
Republican Demographic Shift - https://theconversation.com/further-us-election-analysis-hispanics-and-young-men-swung-big-to-trump-243142
Senate and House Races Still Up for Grabs and Balance of Power - https://apnews.com/live/house-senate-trump-election-updates-11-8-24