China Inc Will Recycle Used White Guys

American company men may find a savior in China Inc. As corporations try to make their ranks more ethnically representative, many experienced – if white and older – males will find themselves without a job. Chinese companies, deterred from acquiring U.S. firms with valuable intellectual property, can recruit their discarded human capital instead.

Some of the largest U.S. companies are moving quickly to rebalance their headcount. {snip}

{snip} In the immediate term that may translate into net layoffs of older, more expensive, Caucasian men.

Some of those hitting the streets, resumé in hand, will have value for the right employer. Economic research firm Sonecon put the price of intellectual capital of U.S. companies at $9.2 trillion in 2011. Acquiring that by buying companies will be difficult under President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to continue the crackdown on Chinese acquisitions. {snip}

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Chinese companies that have bounced back from the pandemic might even be able to offer more competitive pay packages. It may be a less direct way to get at American intellectual assets, but then companies are made by people, not patents.