Until recently these threads were flagged and removed from HN, and participants to conversations stating these things were warned of possible future bans.
It looks like the conversation has changed quite dramatically. The geopolitical tone has trickled down to tech and VC.
Firms like a16z are going all in on "American dynamism", which is basically about competition with China.
It's almost every week you hear about China's sixth gen fighters, NGAD, drones, military spending, etc. in the media. Now the various institutional interests want to invest in capabilities to deter this.
But this kind of conversation, even if handled delicately in a way that was super mindful of not being xenophobic, was entirely forboden just a few short years ago.
Talking about Chinese national students as possible spies. Wow. My ban avoidance scar tissue still tingles with this subject matter. I'm wondering out loud if this geopolitical tension and rivalry is kosher to talk about now.