Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Science: Endless Frontier => New-Golden-Age

Vannevar Bush’s 1945 report Science, the Endless Frontier established the blueprint for modern U.S. science policy and federal funding for academic research

Core Ideas
  • Government Support: The federal government must fund basic scientific research to secure national health, security, and economic prosperity. [1]
  • Basic vs. Applied Science: Basic research (driven by curiosity) must be funded without expecting immediate practical or commercial results, acting as the foundation for future applied science. [1]
  • New Agency: Bush proposed creating a centralized, independent federal agency—which led directly to the establishment of the National Science Foundation in 1950—to manage these grants through merit-based peer review. [1, 2, 3]
  • Talent Development: The government should support education and scholarships to nurture a diverse new generation of scientific talent


Endless Frontier: Vannevar Bush, Engineer of the American Century - Wikipedia

Catalog Record: Science, the endless frontier. A report to... | HathiTrust Digital Library

Science, the endless frontier. A report to the President /
by Vannevar Bush, director of the Office of scientific research and development. July 1945.


Science: A New Golden Age is a July 2026 policy report from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) that proposes a sweeping overhaul of how the United States funds and conducts scientific research. Released by OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, the 123-page report is modeled as an 80-year update to Vannevar Bush’s landmark 1945 manifesto, Science: The Endless Frontier

Science: A New Golden Age – The White House

Science-A-New-Golden-Age.pdf


 Inside Trump's Science Agenda: Anti-Science Claims, Fauci's Damage, DEI & China w/ Michael Kratsios - YouTube @ All-In Podcast - YouTube

In this episode of the All-In Podcast, Michael Kratsios, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), outlines the administration's vision for a "New Golden Age" of American science. The core objective is to move away from administrative, politicized funding models toward a system that empowers individual researchers to pursue high-risk, high-reward breakthroughs.

Key Themes & Takeaways

  • Rethinking Science Funding: Kratsios argues that the current system is overly bureaucratic and incentivizes low-risk, incremental research. The administration seeks to prioritize "gold standard" science by funding individuals and teams rather than just institutions or narrow projects (16:35-21:35).
  • The "Genesis Mission": A flagship effort to double American scientific output by aggressively integrating AI across all scientific disciplines, fundamentally changing how discoveries are made (24:14-25:45).
  • Global Competition with China: The administration emphasizes the need to regain a competitive edge. They highlight that while China has rapidly increased its R&D spending, the U.S. must leverage its free-market ecosystem and focus on foundational research to maintain its lead (34:04-37:01).
  • Removing Politicization: A significant portion of the conversation focuses on moving away from DEI-focused grant requirements and correcting what the administration views as the politicization of science during the COVID-19 pandemic (7:06-8:15; 44:09-47:00).
  • Bold Goals: The administration has set aggressive timelines for national priorities, including:
    • Human return to the Moon by 2028 (23:32).
    • Scientifically relevant quantum computing by 2028 (23:46).
    • Fusion energy milestones targeted for 2035 (24:04).

The "New Golden Age" Report

This interview serves as a discussion of the OSTP's recent report, Science: A New Golden Age, which aims to be the first comprehensive restructuring of the American scientific enterprise since Vannevar Bush’s 1945 landmark report, Science, The Endless Frontier (30:03-31:45).


Office of Science and Technology Policy – The White House



Sad business story: GE

hopefully this is thought in business schools, not just first "growth at human cost" side, 
but in particular second part when GE was destroyed and delisted from stock market completely.

How Just One Man Destroyed America's Manufacturing Industry - YouTube by METTLE:

The video details how Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric (GE) from 1981 to 2001, fundamentally altered GE and the broader landscape of American manufacturing. Once a powerhouse driven by long-term research, engineering excellence, and manufacturing, GE was transformed under Welch into a company obsessed with short-term stock gains, cost-cutting, and financialization. While this approach initially generated massive shareholder returns, it crippled the country's industrial core and ultimately set up GE's eventual decline and breakup.


Key Points

1. Shift to "Shareholder Value"

  • Short-Term Profit Focus: Welch prioritized relentless growth in stock price and quarterly earnings above product quality, workforce stability, and long-term industrial capability.

  • Financialization: Under Welch, GE shifted heavily away from traditional manufacturing toward financial services (GE Capital), which generated quick profits to boost stock numbers but left the company vulnerable to financial crises.

2. Aggressive Workforce & Cost Reductions

  • "Neutron Jack": Welch earned this nickname for aggressively slashing jobs while leaving corporate infrastructure standing. He eliminated over 100,000 jobs early in his tenure.

  • "Rank and Yank": He implemented a forced ranking system that required firing the bottom 10% of managers every year, creating a culture of anxiety and short-term survival.

3. Offshoring & Deindustrialization

  • Gutting the U.S. Manufacturing Base: GE shuttered hundreds of domestic factories and pioneered aggressive offshoring and outsourcing to lower costs, stripping local American communities of high-paying industrial jobs.

  • R&D and Quality Decline: Deep cuts to basic research and manufacturing investments eroded GE's historic edge in engineering and innovation.

4. A Toxic Template for Corporate America

  • Inspirational Legacy: Welch was hailed by business media as a legendary manager, and his playbook was widely adopted by an entire generation of American CEOs and MBAs.

  • Long-Term Repercussions: The widespread adoption of "Welchism" contributed directly to the decline of the American middle class, hollowed out the nation’s manufacturing sector, and left GE itself burdened with financial instability that eventually led to its downsizing and breakup.


This video highlights Jack Welch's tenure at GE because his strategic pivot toward financialization and aggressive cost-cutting serves as the defining blueprint for the decline of American manufacturing.



The video details how former General Electric (GE) CEO Jack Welch dismantled one of America's most iconic and powerful industrial conglomerates. While GE was built over a century on world-class engineering, research and development, and domestic manufacturing, Welch re-engineered the company to prioritize short-term stock price increases, financial speculation, and aggressive cost reduction. Though praised by corporate leadership at the time, his strategy hollowed out GE's core manufacturing capabilities and provided a blueprint that damaged broader American industrial strength.


Key Points

1. From Engineering Powerhouse to Financial Machine

  • Prioritizing Financialization: Welch shifted GE's main engine of profitability away from manufacturing high-quality industrial products toward financial services with GE Capital.

  • Quarterly Stock Speculation: Decisions were driven by meeting quarterly Wall Street expectations and driving up stock prices at the expense of long-term operational health and basic R&D investment.

2. Aggressive Workforce & Cost Reductions

  • "Neutron Jack": Welch earned this nickname due to massive, widespread layoffs that decimated communities while leaving factory buildings and corporate infrastructure intact.

  • "Rank and Yank": He implemented a forced grading system requiring managers to fire the bottom 10% of their team every year, creating a climate of extreme anxiety and internal competition over collaboration.

3. Offshoring & Deindustrialization

  • Shifting Production Abroad: GE pioneered moving factories and supply chains overseas to cut labor costs, accelerating the loss of high-paying domestic manufacturing jobs.

  • Gutting the Industrial Base: Long-standing plants and research arms were systematically closed or downsized, treating skilled engineering talent as replaceable commodities.

4. A Destructive Model for Corporate America

  • Widespread Adoption: Welch's management techniques were taught as the gold standard in business schools and adopted by corporate leaders across numerous American industries.

  • The Long-Term Fallout: This short-term profit mindset ultimately destabilized GE—leading to its eventual breakup—while contributing significantly to the erosion of the American middle class and domestic industrial capacity.