After Reading Jian Li-feng's "Beyond the Sea" — The Awkward Market of 23 Million and Future Prospects

I just finished Jian Li-feng's new book "Beyond the Sea: Taiwan's Corporate Great Future." While I've seen his ideas in online interviews, reading the full book felt like a punch waking me from comfortable illusions about Taiwan's future.

What resonates most: the book's discussion of Taiwan's "island destiny" and "involution."

The "Warm Water Basin" of 23 Million People — How Much Longer Must We Compete Internally?¶

Taiwan's surrounded by ocean; self-sufficient inland; life here is genuinely comfortable. 23 million people is an awkward number—not enough to support internet giants like US and China creating unicorns purely on domestic demand; enough to sustain thriving food, retail, domestic services competing and undercutting each other.

This "just right" comfort zone bred internal competition and price-cutting involution habits.

Interestingly, things are changing. News used to discuss Gen-Z workplace lying-flat or rebellion, but I see the opposite: young people's collective awakening against "meaningless involution." Compared to my early career's suppressive overwork culture, today's workplace is significantly better. New generations reject traditional Cost Down logic—a warning signal pushing Taiwan forward.

Hardware-Thinking Curse: Don't Mistake "Wage Suppression" for Competitiveness¶

Taiwan's undeniable pride is manufacturing. The hardware mindset pursuing yield, precision, standardization anchored us in global supply chains. But in the AI era, it became an invisible curse.

Export giants profit handsomely; resources concentrate on semiconductors. But SMEs serving domestic demand still cling to "lower labor costs for profit" thinking. Result: can't attract overseas talents, trapped in vicious cycles.

Facing AI's explosive year, how do SME owners survive without getting buried?

Simple: what Jian Li-feng emphasized—business owners must touch AI themselves. Not just bosses; product engineers should attempt AI projects. When you actually play and improve efficiency, you realize it's not sci-fi threat. Only real contact prevents baseless fears and unrealistic fantasies. Not grand digital transformation—just "keeping up."

Let Ideas "Go Beyond the Sea" First: I'm Starting with My Blog¶

This AI trend is Taiwan's last chance redefining "going beyond the sea." Geographically ideal: Japan-Korea north, China west, Southeast Asia south. We shipped physical chips; now we ship technology, applications, service models.

But will this feel too distant for ordinary people?

After reading, I pondered what small "letting ideas go beyond first" action I could do daily. I thought of my blog.

Though currently sharing personal thoughts, I plan future articles starting with English as primary. A small experiment—perhaps through language shifts, my views transcend island borders, reaching more people worldwide.

Island destiny forbids complacency. Involution's only cure: stop locking vision inward. The world's vast. This time, our ideas go beyond first.