One of America’s conflicts of interest between its national and corporate identity involves opening factories in foreign lands, such as China or Mexico. Most of the time, it is far more economical for a company to produce in China, with its cheap labor and lax environmental regulations. Scale of production is not an easy result to achieve.

In peacetime, there is concern that the lack of factories in the Western world reduces jobs there and creates new ones in China, burdening Western economies while boosting China’s, thereby closing the gap between the superpowers. During war, everyone would be afraid of a potential economic disruption caused by having the supply chain cut before it gets the opportunity to find an escape across the seas. However, while reading Elon Musk’s biography, I noticed that it mentions some high-level executives would never go overseas or ‘over the wall’ for a factory, prompting the establishment of factories in the U.S.

But why would high-level executives go to a factory in the first place? The answer is culture. For a new wave of engineers, the design and production processes are inseparable, meaning that high-level executives and experts need to be present, overseeing everything about the product. If this culture becomes mainstream, it’s obvious that more factories will be drawn to the location of decision-makers.

Right now, such a cultural change is only limited. The entrepreneurial landscape is muddy and situational to the sector, while such cultures gain recognition due to the influence of selected famous individuals. But most importantly, it’s crucial to recognize that certain developments may be occurring simultaneously. Indeed, more factories may be returning westward, but a far greater number will probably remain. This is true even within the same company. In simple terms, these are not mutually exclusive scenarios.