Another worry is losing talent. Industry know-how is a living being. It is symbolic with the people who actively work in an industry. On the other hand, real demand produces real talent in mass. Again and again in history, a small town or a small area could produce enough generals and politicians to rule an empire. A few city states could lay the foundation of modern science and civilization. Americans in the midwestern invented so many things and built so many great companies during the industrial age as well, even though they've been suffering greatly in the past few decades.