Really interesting perspective here, wanted to add. I am an engineer now, but studied developmental economics very briefly and there are lot of really interesting theories out there.

This “land distribution” point reminds me of a paper they claimed Spain fell behind other colonial powers like England and France because the resource they exploited was precious metals that allowed a few to get rich, but didn’t allow a middle class to grow.

Make me think of whether big tech does the same thing (if they can find a way to automate enough they can hire few people and few engineers)