Can the U.S. Innovate Without Manufacturing?

Applied Materials Chairman and CEO Mike Splinter was featured in The Atlantic discussing U.S. innovation and manufacturing with David Bradley, publisher of The Atlantic during a conversation on “Creating America’s Next Great Industries” at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Below is a short excerpt from the article.

“Ask almost anyone at the Aspen Ideas Festival how to create jobs and drive economic growth and you're likely to get a one-word answer: innovation.

Everyone agrees that it's good, and that some companies are better at it than others, but what it is remains a bit mysterious. One insight into the process came during this morning's conversation between Atlantic Media chief David Bradley and Applied Materials' CEO Mike Splinter. An audience member asked a simple question with deep implications: if manufacturing continues to move offshore, can the United States continue to innovate?

The premise behind the question, as Splinter explained, is that manufacturing isn't just where ideas are put into practice, but a key part of the innovation ecosystem. (He should know: he once ran Intel's top chip fab.)”

Visit The Atlantic for the full article.