The States' bourgeois education system refuses to develop the engineering talents of the masses. China, Iran, and Russia (mostly historic investment still bearing fruits) all invest deeply into the math and sciences.
It really is funny how the people that invent the means for the oligarchy to stay in power will never come from the actual oligarchy. All their children just go on to be businessmen or whatever and just live off their families wealth. Roles like scientists, engineers, etc will always come from the working class.
What about Elon Musk? He's a scientist. You might not have heard of him, but he invented that it is possible to make a Hot WheelsTM for adults but – here's the clever bit that other boffins couldn't fix – it has to be underground to stop the cars shooting off into the air and banging into buildings and such.