Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 385 Hurry up and admit it openly and honestly!

The strategies employed today are far more subtle and complex than those of sixty years ago, making it much harder to predict the outcome.

Lin Ran's proposed solution was that we should cooperate and push the timeline forward.

Don't you want to be in the lead?

By collaborating, I can help you advance your progress in the semiconductor field while also addressing security concerns in high-end semiconductor production.

If you free me up on semiconductors, I'll save time and avoid investing so much manpower and resources in repetitive research and development.

As an add-on, I can even help you set up a lunar base. Although the lunar north pole is a slightly less desirable location than the south pole, it is absolutely capable of providing a stable and normalized ultra-low temperature environment for experiments on precision materials and components, making it an ideal location for such experiments.

They were even willing to sacrifice the entire 4V economy to satisfy Wall Street's appetite.

America made a huge profit from this deal.

Musk was shocked by the fact that Lin Ran's so-called big deal started with the promise that China would no longer expand its lunar program, but eventually revealed the true nature of the deal.

Threats and interests coexist; the most important thing is to use the interests of others to achieve one's own goals, and what is given is what the new president wants most.

After careful consideration, Musk believes that the conditions offered by China have a very, very high chance of success if one has a "friend" close enough to President T to lobby in China.

"I'll pass on the message. From my personal perspective, I think this is a good deal," Musk said, then carefully examined the young man in front of him, a young man who was very different from the Chinese entrepreneurs he had known in the past.

Whether it was the other party's proposal, or the apparent indifference to the war and the deal involving the entire region's economy, Musk felt that these were not the actions of politicians in this century.

They were more like the ambitious figures of the last century, traveling between countries, showing no regard for human life in order to achieve their own goals.

Things like the Asian financial crisis, the attack on the British pound, and even earlier, shorting Soviet and Russian crops.

Musk was initially indifferent to politics, but as time went on, he became increasingly enthusiastic about it, even personally orchestrating this year's presidential election and making significant contributions to Musk's victory.

During this process, he read many books.

If Musk had to find a historical counterpart, one name would come to mind: Kissinger.

This high-ranking official, who enjoyed the president's deep trust during the Nixon era, engaged in shuttle diplomacy, triangular diplomacy, and the India-Pakistan rebalancing during his tenure. Lin Ran's style is exactly the same as his.

Including the later collapse of the Bretton Woods system, although he did not participate in it at the beginning, he facilitated the meeting between Nixon and French President Georges Pompidou in the Azores, forced Europe to compromise in 73, and ultimately led to the complete disintegration of the Bretton Woods system. He perfectly accomplished what America wanted to achieve.

Lin Ran was unaware of Musk's inner thoughts. If he had, he would have told him: "No, I learned this from Lyndon Johnson and Kennedy. Kissinger is not qualified to teach me."

“I believe the President will also think this is a good deal,” Lin Ran asserted. Based on his understanding of Big T, he was certain the other party would agree.

As long as the Wall Street capital that ultimately manipulates the short-selling of the 4V capital market is his people, and he can get a share of the profits, he will definitely agree to do so.

Those establishment figures who voiced opposition and were influenced would have been kicked out of the White House long ago.

"Randolph, what kind of world do you think humanity needs?" Musk then moved on to another topic.

He wanted to hear the other person's opinion.

Lin Ran replied without hesitation, "Elon, we can save these kinds of topics for when we're doing the live stream."

"Let the public know how we think; we have so much to talk about regarding humanity, artificial intelligence, spaceflight, and so on."

Musk nodded: "That's true."

Musk, like Jack Ma, shares the surname Ma. His desire to express himself to the public is no less than that of Jack Ma. He is active in various podcasts and feels uncomfortable if he doesn't tweet every day.

When it comes to tweeting, Musk is no less skilled than Big T.

After a short wait, in the temporary live broadcast room set up by Apollo Technology, there was a simple audience seating area with very basic plastic chairs.

Lighting, sound recording, and camera equipment were hastily set up behind it.

Of course, the most important thing about a dialogue program is not the setup or format, but the people, the two parties in the dialogue.

After Lei Jun found out, he privately approached Lin Ran many times to volunteer, expressing his hope to host their dialogue program: "Professor, with me helping you host, this program will definitely not be dull!"

Lin Ran declined, "Thank you, Mr. Lei, but I don't think it's necessary to trouble you. I don't care too much about whether anyone watches our program. The content is the most important thing, and the format is not important. I would rather have a certain threshold to screen the audience."

Countless viewers are already waiting in the live stream room, and netizens around the world are eagerly anticipating it.

Once Lin Ran and Musk were in their seats at the interview booth, the audience erupted in applause and whistles before Lin Ran could even speak.

"Hello everyone, I'm Lin Ran. Today is the [number]th episode of the Burning program, and I don't really care about the specific episode number."

In short, that's not important. Today's episode of Burning is about talking to Elon Musk, also known as Iron Man, who is an old friend of the Chinese people.

This is a live stream now. The recording will be uploaded after the live stream ends, so don't worry.

"In the past, he cheered for the 2024 presidential election and made great contributions to Big T's election. Let's welcome Big T with warm applause." After Lin Ran finished speaking, the translator sitting next to Musk translated Lin Ran's words to Musk.

The reporters in the audience and the staff members drawn by Apollo Technology applauded to liven up the atmosphere.

The conversation then proceeded entirely in English, with real-time Chinese subtitles available in the live stream.

"Elon, this is our first time meeting in real life. I'd like to start by talking about America. Why did you choose to support Big T?"

We know that you have been a supporter of the Democratic Party for a long time. As a white South African, you were able to come to America to study, work, and start a business thanks to the civil rights laws during the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson eras. For a long time, you supported the Democratic Party and once thought that the Democratic Party was the "good party."

In 2022, you tweeted that you used to vote for the Democratic Party because they were the Good Party. But now, you no longer support the Democratic Party, and you support not only the Elephant Party, but also non-traditional candidates like Big T.

I'm curious, what is the reason for this change?
In China, there's a saying that your eldest son's gender reassignment surgery was a major reason for your change of stance.

Musk habitually wore a pained expression: "Yes, my eldest son was involved in the Donald Party's misguided LGBT advocacy, which is very inhumane and a major reason for my change of stance."

Also, Randolph, I want to correct one point: the Civil Rights Act is about racial discrimination, and it has little to do with my immigration to America. I received my Stanford graduate school offer from Canada in 1995 and then came to America. At that time, more than 30 years had passed since President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.

If I remember correctly.

Lin Ran shook his head: "No, Elon, of course it's related."

Okay, maybe I didn't explain it clearly.

President Johnson's Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 allowed skilled immigrants to go to America, while abolishing the country origin quota system that had been in place since the 1920s. This system favored immigrants from Northern and Western Europe, and was unfriendly to white South Africans.

If the Civil Rights Act had not passed smoothly, then the Immigration and Nationality Act would have been difficult to pass as well. You were able to realize your American dream thanks to the successive efforts of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

During President Johnson's term, he reshaped the modern America immigration framework, which is why you can obtain an H-1B visa to America.

Musk was a little shocked. "No, are you Chinese or American? How come you know this history and law so well? You, a Chinese person, are interviewing me, a white immigrant of South African descent with American citizenship? Shouldn't we be discussing the stars and the sea?"
Why are you discussing this with me here?

Musk doesn't think this is due to the other party's knowledge base, but rather that it's a topic they prepared in advance. However, in his view, it's also abnormal for a Chinese person to prepare this kind of material in advance.

Little did they know, Lin Ran had simply written it off the cuff. Before the bill was passed by Parliament, he had consulted Lin Ran, and he had even made amendments to the clauses concerning Chinese people, adding a small benefit for them.

The vast majority of the audience couldn't understand it; it was all in English, and with such professional terminology. However, they could see it because there were two screens on either side displaying real-time translated subtitles.

The audience members exchanged bewildered glances, feeling something was off.

"The Donald Party ushered in an era of global talent mobility, helping entrepreneurs like you to establish themselves in America, but now you don't support them, instead supporting Big T," Lin Ran concluded.

Musk had to face this issue head-on. He knew that this interview would also be seen by Americans and people around the world, but fortunately, he had faced similar questions more than once or twice in the past.

He thought for a moment and then said:
"It is precisely because I supported the Donald Party in the past that I realized that the Donald Party today is fundamentally different from the Donald Party of the past."

I came to America as a legal immigrant and founded Tesla and SpaceX, creating tens of thousands of jobs, thanks to the immigration policies you just mentioned.

But the Democratic Party is now promoting not the global flow of talent, but illegal immigration, a large number of illegal immigrants.

They allowed millions of illegal immigrants to enter the country, and then planned to legalize them in order to gain permanent votes.

This isn't helping entrepreneurs, it's destroying the country!

Lin Ran said quietly, "So if there were no illegal immigrants as human batteries to provide cheaper services, could America's inflation be contained?"

I've also lived in America, and I know some undocumented immigrants from Mexico, India, and Latin America. They all earn far less than legal residents and do the hardest jobs. Without them, how could America talk about the return of manufacturing?

You're probably well aware of the percentage of native-born white people willing to work in factories; they'd rather earn tips in a fast-food restaurant their entire lives than become factory workers.

Musk immediately said, "Randolph, what you said makes some sense, but it's a one-sided view."

Some undocumented immigrants provide cheap labor in industries such as agriculture, construction, and services, but this ignores the fact that they consume far more resources than they contribute.

The Democratic-led White House is using American taxpayers' money to fund housing for millions of undocumented immigrants, which is a major driver of rising costs. This is not suppressing inflation, but creating it!

If we close our borders and focus on legal, highly skilled immigration, America's economy will be more efficient, rather than being dragged down by inefficient burdens.

That's right, the resources they consume far outweigh their effect on reducing inflation.

Lin Ran stared directly at Musk, his eyes incredibly sharp: "Elon, do you really believe what you're saying?"
Did those housing funds actually go to undocumented immigrants?

Fred, well, the president's father, a prominent New York real estate tycoon, was involved in a housing subsidy program offered by the FHA to shipyard workers and naval personnel during World War II in the 50s. Fred was suspected of improperly profiting from federal housing loans, and he eventually admitted to abusing federal subsidies.

"In the 60s, Fred used New York State funds earmarked for middle-class housing projects to build shopping malls, which led to accusations of greed and embezzlement by state legislators."

"The 70s, Fred"

When they got to the 1970s, before Lin Ran could finish speaking, Musk couldn't hold back any longer.

This is not a big deal. Back in 2016, the New York Times brought this up to criticize Big T, trying to create the impression that Big T's family had a bad reputation.

This actually has limited impact on Big T himself, since it was Fred who did it.

But Lin Ran's account was even more detailed than that of the New York Times, revealing inside stories that even the New York Times hadn't covered, exposing the dirty laundry of Big T to the public.

These are all firsthand materials used to attack Fred during the 1968 Republican primary election, when Nixon and Fred were competing. They are definitely much more detailed than those in the New York Times.

Musk, on the other hand, wanted to avoid delving deeper into this topic, since T is now president and he still has a lot to rely on him for, which is also a way of respecting the dignity of the person in question.

"Randolph, what are you trying to say?" Musk asked.

"What I'm trying to say is that the federal government's housing construction subsidies for middle-class white people, soldiers and workers who served in World War II were already subject to abuse. Now you're telling me that the White House is using American taxpayers' money to fund housing for millions of undocumented immigrants?"
This is rather ridiculous.

"Does even one dollar of the $100 provided actually go into building housing for undocumented immigrants?" Lin Ran said. "Now you're bringing up the idea that undocumented immigrants are spending America's taxes? Don't you think that's a bit absurd?"

What is Lin Ran going to do?
We need to bring this dialogue down to earth, to everyone be open and honest, and stop using diplomatic rhetoric.

Commissioner Smith, just admit it openly and honestly!

(End of this chapter)