Blair Levin on AI, infrastructure and why the US is falling behind

America used to build the future; now it holds hearings, shouts at allies, lets hyperscalers drink the water, and wonders why China is winning. Blair Levin, chief architect of the 2010 National Broadband Plan, reflects on what the U.S. got right, what it missed, and why it risks falling behind in the next phase of the global digital economy. From AI infrastructure to Chinese soft power, hyperscaler dominance to Roosevelt-era ambition, Levin offers a candid assessment of where America stands—and what it needs to do next. The lesson from Levin’s career, and this conversation, is clear: America doesn’t just need better technology. It needs a return to strategic thinking, public purpose and the willingness to build. Without that, the future won’t be something the U.S. designs. It will be something it reacts to.