US-China AI Talent Race Heats Up! Expert: China's Engineering Education Edge Undermines US Competitiveness – Apple's Toughest Jobs Now Handled by Chinese Engineers

Palmer Luckey, founder of US defense technology giant Anduril, recently issued a public warning: America's true lag in AI and advanced manufacturing is not in technology itself, but in its talent cultivation system.

According to a report by US financial magazine Fortune, Luckey stated in an interview with the Hoover Institution, a US think tank: 'The real competition isn't just about technology—it's about who is educating the world's best students.'

The billionaire described how US education tends to encourage children to 'dream big,' while Chinese education emphasizes teaching students 'how to ground those dreams in reality.'

He criticized US universities for increasingly detaching from engineering practice, resulting in a situation where 'we no longer teach engineers how to be engineers.' Many designs remain at the conceptual stage and are ultimately handed over to Chinese engineers for manufacturing and implementation.

Luckey cited Apple as an example, noting that while Apple once had to solve complex engineering challenges in product manufacturing on its own, today 'the most difficult work is mostly done by Chinese engineers.' He claimed that the real engineering capability of US companies has been 'hollowed out.'

However, Luckey believes the US still holds a key advantage: a greater ease in nurturing risk-taking entrepreneurs. Citing his own experience of dropping out at 19 to found VR company Oculus and later establishing Anduril, he said such a career path 'would not happen in China.'

The report notes that as US-China tech competition intensifies, such warnings are becoming increasingly common. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla previously pointed out that China's pace of scientific research development is three times faster than the West, at half the cost. If this trend continues, China's research strength could surpass that of the US by the end of this century.

The report also mentions that China has been continuously adjusting university curricula in recent years, reducing certain humanities and management majors while adding new programs in AI, robotics, and semiconductors. Furthermore, AI education has been extended to primary and secondary schools to directly align with industrial development needs.

Analysts point out that Luckey's remarks reflect the deep anxiety within the US tech community over an 'engineering practice gap.' Meanwhile, China's strategy of strengthening manufacturing and technology implementation through systematic talent development is gradually reshaping the fundamental logic of global tech competition.