Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware (Full Documentary) | Future Cities | WIRED

WIRED Investigations · 15.7M views · 2016 · 1:07:51

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Manufacturing & industrial processesEmbedded systems & DIY electronicsStartups & entrepreneurshipdocumentarydated

Why Hacker News recommends it

Strongly recommended in Shenzhen and hardware threads for its view of fast cycles, loose IP and the maker ecosystem.

What it is

A WIRED Future Cities documentary on Shenzhen, covering its hardware-prototyping culture and shanzhai copycat manufacturing. It looks at how the city's ecosystem evolved and what the rest of the world can learn.

Recommended by 8 HN commenters across 8 different months, 2016 to 2022.

What Hacker News said

Strong rec coord · 2016-10 · on “Mirai Botnet Client, Echo Loader and CNC source code”

I cannot wait for some type of top-down pressure to force IoT developers to take security seriously. The movement has been pushed into overdrive thanks to insane levels of competition where you either crush your R&D into the smallest breakneck period or you live to see your creation being sold for half of what your budget can allow by other firms lifting your efforts while you're still at the workbench.[1] I've been getting cozy with Shenzhen-based hardware accelerators for the past year as part of a personal side-venture and I have not seen a group so pressured to deliver a product as fast as possible with security being a casual afterthought. To get a decent taste of what it's like, I whol

Strong rec drewmate · 2017-01 · on “A 24-year-old made $345K in 2 months by beating Kickstarters to market”

There's an excellent documentary on the hardware/hacking ecosystem in Shenzhen on YouTube: [this video] . A lot of people there seem to embrace the ethos of moving fast and ignoring IP laws (both original creator and spoofer) because by the time you get a lawsuit or patent filed, the tech will have moved far beyond what you were trying to protect, and it will no longer be worth your time. Basically, move fast and try to keep up. It's crazy how fast the tech cycles are there.

Strong rec tmoreton · 2017-04 · on “Shenzhen is a hothouse of innovation”

WIRED UK did a great job going into more detail on Shenzhen, highly recommend watching the documentary. [this video]

Strong rec smckt · 2017-08 · on “Shenzhen: China’s ‘skyscraper capital’”

If interested about Shenzhen, I'd highly recommend watching this mesmerizing feature on Wired UK: [this video]

Strong rec lubujackson · 2018-07 · on “Letter from Shenzhen”

For a companion piece I highly recommend this hour long vid by Wired about Shenzhen. It's worth your time: [this video] Things that stood out to me was the maker mindset was so prevalent and competitve that it had filtered down to the buyers. So someone cobbles together some new widget for their phone and starts to sell it. Other people see it selling a nd copy it, but they make modifications. Shoppers see it for the first time and decide they want one with a purple strap, so they shop around until they find it or find someone who will make it that way. This is where the hoverboard fad bubbled up but also how and why it "flamed" out. I think it's a fascinating testbed for technology and creativit

Recommends thisisit · 2018-12 · on “Jack Ma: US wasted trillions on warfare instead of investing in infrastructure”

Whenever people talk about failures of government to build infrastructure I can't help but look back at the brilliant Wired documentary on Shenzhen. It depicts a boundary line between the city and urban village. And government had the power to relocate 150k in a snap to get the development going [1] How many countries can actually do that? Sure, couple of hundreds of people can be moved but 100k people, I am sure that cause a riot of sorts and project shut down very quickly. [1] [this video]

Recommends nexus6mike · 2020-01 · on “Shenzhen’s economy under strain: blame the trade war?”

Short-term demand seems to be shifting to Vietnam. This seems to have enabled a 'wait and see' approach re: China + tariffs. However, I'd question if Vietnam has enough long-term manufacturing capacity [1] [2] [3] to sustain the short-term advantage it seems to be currently enjoying. Today, China has 16 of the world's 50 busiest ports, including Shenzhen at #3 (all as measured by 2018 TEU volume). [4] However, this is less indicative of capacity than it is of current demand / throughput. Both countries could benefit from building more deep-water ports. China currently has two Panamax ports, with a third on the way. Vietnam has none and is building its first. The U.S., by comparison, has 42 b

Recommends irsagent · 2022-09 · on “Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?”

Here is a list of 20 documentaries I have come to love and return to when I come across them. There is no specific order to them. Enjoy! The * next to the number indicates the last 4 years. If you have seen one listed that you'd like to share what you think about please leave a comment with this structure [# in the list ] Comment... . i.e. [1] Loved learning about Noyce. What a guy. 1. Silicon Valley: Where the Future | PBS: American Experience [1:23:19] [2013] History of the how Silicon Valley came to be. William Shockley. Robert Noyce. Fairchild Semiconductor, The Traitorous Eight. Homepage: [LINK] Kanopy: [LINK] Where to Watch: [LINK] 2. Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware | Wired UK