Ashlee VanceNYT Best Seller | Reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek

America's Shenzhen Is In Rural Texas #tech #manufacturing #america #factory #shenzhen

27 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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1:02

In this documentary‑style segment, journalist Ashlee Vance tours a 1,200‑acre hardware and manufacturing hub in rural Texas known as Prototown. He frames the site as a "secret hardware cult," noting its mix of startups, early‑stage factories, and residents living in conex trailers. The narration highlights the scale of the compound, the entrepreneurial activity taking place, and the overt "America can do big shit" propaganda that underpins the project, positioning Prototown as a U.S. analogue to China’s Shenzhen.

People had described it to me as a secret hardware cult.
Which way to Prototown?
The good news is that I specialize in hardware cults and knew just how to approach the mission at hand. With subtlety and the utmost tact. There it is. Prototown.
Oh, I'm gonna pee so bad.
This is what we do at all the sites. We immediately mark the territory. After establishing our presence, We found a young but active 1,200-acre compound. There were people living in conex trailers. There were startups working away on projects, and there were foundations being laid for factories. All of this was drenched in America can do big shit propaganda.
There you go, there's your brisket. There's a healthy serving.