This is all geopolitics. nothing about technology or specifics on anything interesting.
> nothing about technology
Well the whole point is that they've switched technology from diesel to nuclear, based on changing user requirements. Agile, if you like!
The word you're looking for is "pivot."
Presumably "SV norms" here refers to the expectation that one does not ever explicitly acknowledge this element in Silicon Valley's history, lest it undermine the "plucky dudes in a garage" mystique.