Export controls address hardware; they do not address the human layer of the competition. Chinese tech firms recruiting AI and semiconductor talent inside the United States [2] represent a transfer mechanism that chip bans structurally cannot reach. The Peterson Institute documented how a recent export rule escalated bilateral tensions [5], but the talent recruitment story shows why hardware restriction alone sets an incomplete perimeter — the knowledge walks out with the person, not the chip. The White House meeting with robotics manufacturers confirms the US government understands industrial coordination…