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submitted 1 year ago by bossito@lemmy.world to c/europe@feddit.de
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[-] squaresinger@feddit.de 50 points 1 year ago

The reason why the USA has so many tech gigants and the EU doesn't has nothing to do with talent or market size, but instead everything with low taxes, lax regulations, massive tax breaks and generally the political will to shovel billions into private companies and letting the population pay the bill for it.

Ireland and Malta are the countries most overseas tech companies (and gambling and porn companies) choose as their European seat, not because they have an amazing amount of great skilled talent, but because they have really low taxes and regulations.

Also, the EU really doesn't want companies that are so big and important that they are more powerful than the government.

Lastly, another issue is that the EU, when handing out money to companies, prefers the Airbus model. Instead of concentrating everything into one city, like in Shenzhen or Silicon Valley, they like to spread everything out over all of Europe.

None of that is even remotely changed due to AI.

[-] Anekdoteles@feddit.de 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

low taxes, lax regulations, massive tax break

I call complete and utter bs. If taxes where a reason, Silicon Valley would be on Virgin Islands.

Ireland and Malta are the countries most overseas tech companies (and gambling and porn companies) choose as their European seat, not because they have an amazing amount of great skilled talent, but because they have really low taxes and regulations.

And this proves your view being overly simplistic and unconnected to the real world. They chose to settle their profits in these countries, not their development.

Also, the EU really doesn’t want companies that are so big and important that they are more powerful than the government.

Dude, holy shit. You're confusing the EU with China.

Lastly, another issue is that the EU, when handing out money to companies, prefers the Airbus model. Instead of concentrating everything into one city, like in Shenzhen or Silicon Valley, they like to spread everything out over all of Europe.

That's at least an interesting thought but probably neglectable in the bigger picture.

The real reason is, that you need talent and you can attract global talent with the global highest pay. US was rich before, so global talent naturally gravitated towards it. Furthermore and probably foremost, the US were decades ahead of most countries after WWII. It is no suprise that computerization happened there first and that subsequent business models like private operating systems could develop there first, as a very result of that. Everything boils down to the trajectories of the war.

I would like to add that foss is very strong in europe as well.

Due to our ambitions in being privacy respective and libertarian for our software the communities thrived.

[-] Anekdoteles@feddit.de 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I wish the commission would know this instead of sabotaging privacy all the time. Because I firmly believe that Europe only has a prosperous future when it fills the vacuum of soft power that the rampage going US left after 9/11. Being a safe haven for dissidents, cryptography and open source technology is the way to go imho. Europe can't compete financially with US or China, but it can be a place where innovaters come to realise their visions while having huge quality of life.

but it can be a place where innovaters come to realise their visions while having huge quality of life.

This. In all facettes.

This should be the niche were europe can be a real opportunity. Unfortunately in reality I think this is difficult to accomplish due to the economies being under pressure with other economies as well.

This shift is no easy task.

[-] squaresinger@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago

I guess, you are American? In that case, please read up on European history.

[-] Anekdoteles@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

As if you did not already had proven the unbelievable delusion of your world view in manyfold ways, you're once again completely on the wrong track. I'm European and an one actively participating in European civic society, as well. So, it's even safe to say, that I know quite a lot more than the average European regarding European history and European affairs in general.

[-] eran_morad@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Or you could dispute his arguments with, you know, facts.

[-] squaresinger@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago

What arguments? All they said was "Bullshit".

No sources, no arguments, no reason to argue with someone like that. It's like the proverbial chess match against a pigeon.

[-] Anekdoteles@feddit.de 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

What arguments? All they said was “Bullshit”.

You just claimed something to be true without even making an effort to explain, why you think it should be true. This is not a valid thing to do, not only but particularly if you want to abstract the whole world away, ignore all social, economic and historic reasons, why things are like they are, to boil everything down on "tax laws". Even trickle down economics is more rooted in reality than this utter bullshit. In contrast, I presented a reasonable and nuanced explanation that even brought two different aspects to the table instead of trying to force the whole world into a monocausal and - no offense - mind bogglingly stupid explanation.

That is not all. I could even disprove your claim easily, but you say, I was the one without the arguments. You are the pigeon, my boy.

[-] eran_morad@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

He literally argued against your conjecture. This is his comment.

low taxes, lax regulations, massive tax break

I call complete and utter bs. If taxes were a reason, Silicon Valley would be on Virgin Islands.

Ireland and Malta are the countries most overseas tech companies (and gambling and porn companies) choose as their European seat, not because they have an amazing amount of great skilled talent, but because they have really low taxes and regulations.

And this proves your view being overly simplistic and unconnected to the real world. They chose to settle their profits in these countries, not their development.

Also, the EU really doesn’t want companies that are so big and important that they are more powerful than the government.

Dude, holy shit. You're confusing the EU with China.

Lastly, another issue is that the EU, when handing out money to companies, prefers the Airbus model. Instead of concentrating everything into one city, like in Shenzhen or Silicon Valley, they like to spread everything out over all of Europe.

That's at least an interesting thought but probably neglectable in the bigger picture.

The real reason is, that you need talent and you can attract global talent with the global highest pay. US was rich before, so global talent naturally gravitated towards it. Furthermore and probably foremost, the US were decades ahead of most countries after WWII. It is no suprise that computerization happened there first and that subsequent business models like private operating systems could develop there first, as a very result of that. Everything boils down to the trajectories of the war.

[-] squaresinger@feddit.de 5 points 1 year ago

Ok, lets do this then:

I call complete and utter bs. If taxes were a reason, Silicon Valley would be on Virgin Islands.

This is a totally idiotic argument. My point was US vs EU, not vs some tiny backwater country with a population that fits within a small city district.

Of course you need talent and infrastructure, but both the EU and the US have that. The differentiating factor is tax and regulations.

And this proves your view being overly simplistic and unconnected to the real world. They chose to settle their profits in these countries, not their development.

Again, a totally idiotic argument. If that person had any knowledge about how IT companies operate, they would know, that Google, Amazon, Microsoft and almost all other tech gigants have quite big development offices in all of Europe too. But they put their head quarters where tax and regulations are nice for them.

The real reason is, that you need talent and you can attract global talent with the global highest pay. US was rich before, so global talent naturally gravitated towards it. Furthermore and probably foremost, the US were decades ahead of most countries after WWII. It is no suprise that computerization happened there first and that subsequent business models like private operating systems could develop there first, as a very result of that. Everything boils down to the trajectories of the war.

Total bullshit from start to finish.

If this was the case, then Europe would, for example not have the massive automotive, pharma, aviation or chemical industry, and we wouldn't have the only company worldwide that is currently able to buld the machines that can create the most high tech chips (ASML).

Also, that guy probably doesn't know that Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and many others where founded over 50 years after WWII. Even Microsoft and Apple were founded 30 years after WWII.

Computarization didn't happen in the US first, it happened at the same time in the USA, Europe and Japan.

Successful computer manufacturers in the 50s where (among others) IBM, Burroughs and GE from the USA, but also Siemens, Zuse, Bull, Elliott and dozens other companies from Europe and Fujitsu, Oki Electronic and NEC from Japan.

[-] eran_morad@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Fuck’s sake, the transistor, semiconductor, and all of the computer industry was developed in the United States starting in the late 40’s. All that shit came out of Bell Labs. I don’t have the energy to interact with you any further.

[-] squaresinger@feddit.de 3 points 1 year ago

All of the computer industry? So Zuse, Siemens, Fujitsu and all of them just never existet? And apparently neither did IBM?

You are delusinal.

Also, the Transistor was invented Julius Lilienfeld who was born in modern-day Ukraine while he lived in Germany.

The semiconductor was invented by the German Karl Ferdinand Braun in 1847.

Next you are going to tell me that Pizza, too, was invented in the USA.

Dude, making up shit doesn't make it any truer.

this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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