So nanotechnology can plausibly automate away much of the manufacturing in its material supply chain. If you already have nanotech, you may not need to consult the outside economy for inputs of energy or raw material.
Why would you not make use of resources from the outside world?
IMO, the issue in this area is with folks like Google—who take from the rest of the world, but don’t contribute everything they build back again—so they develop their own self-improving ecosystem that those outside the company have no access to. Do that faster than your competitors in a suitably-diverse range of fields and eventually you find yourself getting further and further ahead—at least until the monopolies commission takes notice.
Why would you not make use of resources from the outside world?
IMO, the issue in this area is with folks like Google—who take from the rest of the world, but don’t contribute everything they build back again—so they develop their own self-improving ecosystem that those outside the company have no access to. Do that faster than your competitors in a suitably-diverse range of fields and eventually you find yourself getting further and further ahead—at least until the monopolies commission takes notice.
Well 6 years later Google is in everything from self-driving cars to thermostats. You might just be right.
Apparently no.