Big-idea technological innovation has been led for years by the US, and for some time by the USSR as well. But the Soviet Union is gone, and there may be a cultural shift in America: going at it alone and distrust of government. The libertarian streak that has long been present in American culture seems to be taking hold of more and more people. Even Democrats seem to have a distrust of government, and some even partially accept right-wing axioms about the benefits of small government and spending cuts. But some undertakings are simply too big for private corporations, and require government funding and control. Only Americans increasingly distrust the gov't.
This sentiment is not bad necessarily, but it's becoming pervasive and might be spreading beyond just distrust of government. Americans (or, rather, well-to-do Americans, or those born to the right parents in the right neighborhoods) don't want to be a small cog in a big machine. They prefer going at it alone, or in a small team and encourage individual expression.
So this is not wrong, and it certainly doesn't apply to everyone everywhere, but it might just be one more reason in the decline of huge undertakings, that might require collaboration on a national or international scale, where talented people must be content to contribute their small part to a very large and non-individual expression.