This is indeed a really great podcast. I'm sympathetic to his points that 1) the US is falling behind and 2) that in a strong democracy policy plays a big role in shaping the technology.
Is the US regarded as a "strong democracy"? Surely some can argue just how strong, especially with the effective 2-party system.
It gets repeated a lot, the US being the greatest democracy and all, but that doesn't make it true per se.
Yeah, between the entrenched 2-party system, Citizen's United, gerrymandering, voter suppression (voter-ID laws, the war-on-drugs combined with felons not being eligible to vote, etc.), the politization of the supreme court and the complete dysfunction of Congress, I'd classify the US as a 'failing' democracy. Not 'failed' mind, you but well on its way. I'd put it about 2-3 democratic dysfunctions behind Turkey and 4-6 behind Russia.
The Human Code - Anduril Industries & Oculus VR Founder Palmer Luckey (69 MINS)
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/turner-podcast-network/the-...
It might help shed some light on the "why" that many people here seem to be asking here in the comments.