The Trump administration's significant staff reductions at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) could undermine U.S. leadership in semiconductors and artificial intelligence. History Professor Zuoyue Wang, a technology policy expert, points out there have been cycles of big cuts to science and tech in the 1950s and then the 1970s, but they were reversed when the U.S. experienced its Sputnik moment.

This interview was originally broadcasted on "All Things Considered" by NPR on April 18, 2025.