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President Donald Trumps bowling-ball attitude to international relations and business was in evidence again this week as he announced a landmark $100 billion deal with Taiwanese computer chip manufacturer TSMC to bring more production capacity to the United States. The agreement with TSMC plans for five new factories to be built in the U.S., signed alongside TSMC CEO C.C. Wei in the White House on March 3. We must be able to build the chips and semiconductors that we need right here, Trump said as he announced the deal. Its a matter of national security for us. The move to onshore production of the chips that are powering the AI and broader tech revolution may well shore up U.S. national security. But those watching the dealalongside the stock market, which reacted by lowering the price of TSMC sharesworry that the agreement trades strengthened U.S. national security for weakened Taiwanese security. TSMCs additional $100 billion investment is likely to further expand the U.S. presence in global advanced chip manufacturing, which is currently dominated by Taiwan, says Ray Wang, a Washington D.C.-based analyst focusing on U.S.-China tech competition and the semiconductor industry in Asia. Thats good news for the United States. But onshoring the production of advanced computer chips that help power the AI revolution isnt necessarily good news for Taiwan. TSMC’s newly announced investment in manufacturing, packaging, and R&D in the United States will likely diminish Taiwans strategic importance for the U.S. and broader global economy in the long run, says Wang. For years, Taiwan has managed to fend off the threat of a Chinese invasion of the small island nation because of its strategic importance as the key global factory for computer chips. Its an advantage that the Taiwanese dubbed their “Silicon Shield.” Indeed, just days ago, the countrys economy minister, Kuo Jyh-huei, described Taiwans semiconductor industry as its sacred mountain protecting the country. Yet that sacred mountain looks a little more surmountable now. Ultimately it reduces U.S. dependence on Taiwanwhich reduces Taiwanese leverage over the U.S., says William Matthews, senior research fellow for China and the world in the Asia-Pacific program at Chatham House. Losing that leverage is a dangerous move, Matthews says, not least because of the way the United States has taken a more transactional approach to international relations, even with its allies, under Trump. From that point of view it reduces the incentive in Washington to defend Taiwan from China, explains Matthews. Unlike Ukraine, there isn’t an ongoing war, but Trump’s approach to the mineral deal is indicative of his attitude to international partnershipstransactional and potentially extractive while minimizing costs to the U.S. The Taiwanese economics minister said earlier this month that no deal with TSMC would be signed without the express agreement of the government, suggesting that TSMC hasnt yet granted the ability for U.S. plants to build the highest-spec chipsfor now. The Taiwanese government has said it will retain the most advanced tech but that doesn’t mean that it will do so forever, or that the U.S. won’t leap ahead with access to more advanced chip production on U.S. soil, warns Matthews. And at that point, theres little reason for the U.S. to defend Taiwan should the worst happen. That said, Wang, the tech competition analyst, isnt certain that its a zero-sum game. This additional investment could also strengthen U.S.-Taiwan relations economically and technologically, first potentially reducing the risk of being targeted by tariffs under the Trump administration and serving as a good start for future collaboration between the two governments, he says. But Matthews worries that it further isolates Taiwan geographically and could result in real worries in the Asia-Pacific region, where China has long threatened to invade Taiwan. The risk for Taiwan is that China’s approach is not one that prioritizes a war outside specific circumstancesthe declaration of formal independence or action taken by Taiwan or the U.S. that puts eventual unification in jeopardy, says Matthews. Instead, Matthews foresees there could be a long game of increasing grayzone activities like joint air and naval patrols, cyberattacks, and cable cutting, with an aim of wearing down Taiwan’s resolve. Such asymmetrical actions that come below the point of outright military intervention make it less and less likely that Trump would intervene now that much of the chip production the U.S. relies on Taiwan for has been onshoredbut ratchets up the tension nonetheless. It also gives China time to muster forces furthermuch as happened in Ukraine with Russia. All of this means that if and when China does take the step to occupy Taiwan, the costs of U.S. involvement will be much greater, says Matthews. If all goes to China’s plan, the U.S. will decide not to get involved in a conflict it could lose, and will be even less inclined to do so if the material incentive of protecting Taiwan’s chip sector is gone.
Category:
E-Commerce
Nearly all job growth since 1980 has been in occupations that are social-skill intensive. Teamwork, for instance, is now considered very or extremely important in eight of 10 occupations. Not surprisingly, a Stanford study shows that people working collaboratively persist on a task for 64% longer than those working individually on the same task, and they exhibit higher levels of engagement. According to the platform LinkedIn, the most in-demand skills in 2024 include teamwork and communication. Jobs that require high levels of analytical and mathematical reasoning but low levels of relational skills have been declining because they are easier to automate. As a result, workers in positions requiring social skills are demanding higher wages. These trends align with the fact that there has been a decrease in demand for jobs involving routine tasks, whereas those that require the human touch for enhancing team productivity and flexible adaptation to changing circumstances are on the rise. David Deming, who studies social skills at Harvard University, analyzed team performance and showed that there really is such a thing as a team player. He was able to isolate and replicate the effect of an individual team members contribution across multiple groups, showing that a team player increases group performance quite meaningfully. Similarly, in a large research study referred to as Project Oxygen, Google examined what made the companys employees good managers. The assumption was that it was technical skills. In fact, most successful managers were relational individuals who made time for one-to-one meetings, helped employees work through problems, and took an interest in their lives. The future belongs to those with relational intelligence, and its vital to instill these skills from an early age. The workplace increasingly values the skills that are typically nurtured in a preschool-like environment. Paradoxically, however, preschools are starting to shift toward a more rigid, academically focused model reminiscent of the pedagogy of the industrial era, potentially neglecting the importance of play and peer interaction. James Heckman, a recipient of the Nobel Prize in economics, conducted pioneering research establishing the equal importance of noncognitive abilitiesincluding social skillsalong-side cognitive ones. Heckman asserted that these attributes are teachable, although he pointed out that American educational institutions may not consistently focus on cultivating them. To prepare students for the future, education systems should focus on and measure relational intelligencethe ability to interact and work effectively with othersnot just mastery of academic skills or acquisition of content. A love of learning is also gaining importance in the ever-evolving world of work. Maintaining a thirst for learning is like having a dependable compass in a shifting landscape. We know that the average American will change jobs twelve times between the ages of 18 and 54, and will switch careers between three and seven times. About one in five American workers has a job with high exposure to artificial intelligence, according to OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. Over time, automation may create as many jobs as it eliminates, but those new jobs will require people to retrain and acquire new skills. As technology hurdles forward, those who embrace learning will navigate the twists and turns of the modern job market with greater ease. They will have a knack for staying in the know about the new tools, technologies, and industry trends that will be crucial for remaining competitive in their careers. But the significance of a love for learning goes beyond just professional growth. Its about personal empowerment. Its akin to having a versatile tool set for life. A curious and open attitude can make you more adaptable, more resilient, and a sharper problem solver. When you love learning, you tend to approach challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles. That kind of mindset not only helps you flourish in your career but also enriches your personal life. In my opinion, a love of learning is an understudied competency, despite its vital role in human flourishing. What is a love of learning? It characterizes an individuals approach to acquiring new information and skills, encompassing both a general enthusiasm for learning and a pronounced interest in specific subject matter. When I think of a love of learning, I picture someone like my younger daughter, whose passion for dance and desire for mastery cause her to continue dancing across our living room after formally training at her dance school for five hours straight. When people possess a strong love of learning, they become mentally engaged and derive positive emotions from the process of acquiring new skills, satisfying their curiosity, building upon existing knowledge, or delving into entirely new topics. Young children simply love learning. Four-year-olds ask as many as two hundred to three hundred questions a day. How can we keep that love alive and well? Adapted excerpt from Love to Learn: The Transformative Power of Care and Connection in Early Education by Isabelle C. Hau (PublicAffairs, 2025).
Category:
E-Commerce
Beauty mogul and Rhode founder Hailey Bieber recently posted a a series of editorial photos on her Instagram to tease an upcoming collaboration with Fila. One of the pictures is not like the rest. In it, Bieber is caught mid-gasp as an artful collection of vibrant carrots, ripe bananas, and glossy tomatoes tumble from a brown bag cradled in her arm. The image has ignited an impassioned discussion on social media. One X user wrote of Biebers post, That one influencer that predicted fresh food would become part of fashion in 2025, because groceries are too expensive, & its a status symbol to waste fresh produce ate so bad. The influencer in question is TikTok user @kfesteryga, whose account is dedicated to tracking where food is being positioned as a status symbol, from the Instagram accounts of the Kardashians to the bodice of Zendayas Met Gala outfit. While this theory is finding traction online (the aforementioned tweet has already racked up 507,000 likes), produce-as-status-symbol is a trend thats actually been cooking in various forms for years. According to Andrea Hernández, author of the food and beverage trends newsletter Snaxshot, Its not new so much as its now getting more attention because of conspiracy-style TikTok videos. Food industry experts may have sniffed this out years ago, but now, flexing with vegetables is primed to go fully mainstreamand the reality of the phenomenon is pretty depressing. How did we get here? Groceries as a fashion statement can be traced all the way back to the 1930s, designer Elizabeth Goodspeed points out for Its Nice That. But the trend has seen several revivals over the years, including the bacon craze of the 2010s or the twee cupcake fad of the same era. In 2014, the grocery store itself became a site of high fashion when Chanel hosted a supermarket-themed show that was basically unavoidable on fashion Twitter. Months later, Kristen Stewart was photographed by Elle magazine sandwiched delicately between rows of lush green lettuce and processed peanut butter. In the past few years, the trend has trickled down from runways and magazine spreads into the hands of the average consumer, most often in the form of kitschy novelty goods. There have been bags inspired by Heinz packets and pizza boxes, hand-beaded butter purses, and enough tomato-inspired prints to last a lifetime. The food-inspired design frenzy has historically been unoffensive. Recently, though, a bleaker take on the trends appears to be emerging, and it strips away the glitz and whimsy to reveal the unfortunate truth: Fresh produce is increasingly considered a luxury good. Carrot-chic Ongoing inflation has consistently ranked as a central concern for Americans in the years since the pandemic, and 2025 is no different. According to a report this month from the Labor Department, the consumer price index increased 3% year-over-year. The index accounts for rises in key purchases like gas, cars, and groceries. [Groceries-as-luxury] is definitely a post-2020 sentiment, and as were halfway in the decade, its no surprise to see it permeate into the mainstream, Hernández says. Food scarcity and grocery prices skyrocketing is real, and our generation made fancy smoothies a form of affordable affluence. Its Gen Zs avocado toast trope. Indeed, despite outrage over the ever-increasing cost of living, Gen Z seems almost morbidly fascinated with trends like Erewhons $20 smoothies or, more recently, the stores viral $19 strawberry. You cant afford a house, but you can splurge on $25 smoothies, Hernández quips. Meanwhile, on social media, Gen Zers are earnestly romanticizing a frugal adult life, one that still seems out of reach in the current economic climate: One day youll be buying groceries to cook dinner in the small apartment you rent, a viral aspirational tweet reads. As grocery prices surge, luxury foods gain more mystique and social clout. Now, though, prices are so prohibitive that access to plain old produce is becoming a wealth signaler. Biebers recent Instagram post is one example of this shift, but, on her TikTok account, @kfesteryga has documented plenty of other recent instances of the trend. These include an Instagram story from Kim Kardashian highlighting an untouched plate of out-of-season grapes; a Stylist cover of Adam Brody next to a cake topped with bright red cherries; and a photo shoot of Pamela Anderson enjoying a multitier fruit platter. These posts show that theres no longer the need for the aesthetic trappings of the supermarket or the eye-catching repurposing of processed foods into leather handbags to convey a sense of exclusivity. A simple brown bag of carrots and bananas can do that all by itself.
Category:
E-Commerce
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