Coffee and a Mike Dave Collum and Matt Smith #1265
Dec 10, 2025
Dave Collum, a Cornell organic chemistry professor known for his insights on science and policy, joins Matt Smith, entrepreneur and co-author of 'The Preparation.' They dive into the potential impacts of SCOTUS on tariffs and the geopolitical situation in Venezuela. The duo analyzes the complexities of tariffs on industries like automotive and precious metals while critiquing affordability narratives and political messaging. They also explore the rise of electric vehicles, the global monetary reset hints, and the implications of recent controversies surrounding Turning Point USA.
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Tariffs Create Planning Paralysis
- Tariff uncertainty hobbles planning and can slow U.S. economic activity by making imports and manufacturing decisions unpredictable.
- Dave Collum and Matt Smith argue the tariffs mainly created headline effects and uneven market disruptions rather than coherent industrial policy.
China's Manufacturing Scale Is A Strategic Edge
- China has scaled manufacturing and engineering capacity to levels Western firms struggle to match, especially in EVs and pharma kilogram production.
- Matt Smith and Dave Collum warn that outsourcing key drug and component production created strategic vulnerabilities.
How Pharma Outsourced Kilogram Production
- Dave Collum recounts how pharma firms outsourced kilogram-scale synthesis to China to speed shots on goal in drug discovery.
- That outsourcing trained China's chemistry industry and left Western firms dependent on overseas supply for key intermediates.
