In 2013, Google attempted to produce the Moto X smartphone in the U.S., specifically at a factory in Fort Worth, Texas, despite skepticism about costs and capabilities. This effort was seen as a bold step for American manufacturing, contrasting with Apple’s reliance on cheaper foreign production. However, by 2014, Google sold Motorola and ceased its U.S. manufacturing initiative, marking the end of a major attempt to make smartphones domestically. This experience is increasingly relevant in light of recent pressures from President Trump to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.
The company crowed defiantly in a blog post announcing the new America-made smartphone: "Conventional wisdom said it wasn't possible. Experts said that costs are too high in the US; that the US has lost its manufacturing capability; and that the US labor force is too inflexible."
Tens of thousands of shiny, new touchscreen phones began rolling off the assembly line at a plant in Fort Worth, Texas every day, and what seemed like a risky endeavor began to look like it could be a milestone.
Google sold the Motorola phone business and pulled the plug on the U.S. manufacturing effort just a year later, marking the last time a major company tried to produce a U.S. made smartphone.
Google's experience, particularly where it succeeded, where it discovered unexpected benefits, and where it stumbled, are newly relevant amid President Trump's campaign to pressure Apple, and other tech companies, to build their gadgets on U.S. soil.
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