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Comment by retskrad | Hacker News Reader

If the U.S. operated like the EU, we’d be far less advanced technologically. In a world run by EU-level bureaucracy, there would be no Tesla, Apple, SpaceX, OpenAI, Meta, Amazon. Europe seems to carry this inflated sense of self-importance, but what have they really contributed to the global tech landscape that justifies this ego? I live in Europe, but let’s be honest—people here rely on U.S. products daily. Aside from Spotify, how many truly global tech innovations have come from Europe? The EU is not only a stagnating economy, it’s also dependant on U.S. not only for military aid but also products and services like Google search, phones, Instagram and ChatGPT.

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> how many truly global tech innovations have come from Europe?

Way more than you think. You are mostly listing businesses and not actual technologies or inventions that shaped the world.

True. WWW came out of Zurich as I recall. On the other hand, if someone doesn’t productize a technology and get it into peoples’ hands, does it matter that it was researched?

Yes it matters. Even in the US. Otherwise you wouldn't have copyright laws, royalties, patent...

You are mistaking causes of all this. EU is lagging not because of regulation. EU is lagging because it doesn't doesn't have a single language and single set of laws (I mean that that laws do vary between EU members). This is THE only reason for the lack of startups, because obviously it is easier to launch a calendar app, car or rocket startup while adhering to a single set of laws instead of 27 set of laws, and don't bothering about internationalization instead of having 24 languages to work with.

Going back to regulation - there are A LOT of shitholes with low regulation around the world, and as we can see none of them are in any technologically successful. Because regulation or lack of it is not a main reason for success.

California is the most regulated US state which is where most of the companies you mention started. A much more likely and logical reason is what the other reply to your post states, the EU is a very fragmented market. There are also cultural differences certainly at play. But this very American trope that regulations are bad for business is misguided, it is fact the strong rule of law in the US and regulations that offer a great framework for startups in addition to the largest single market in the world, and the government funding a lot of research and dev through defense spending.

And from what I have seen in several sectors, companies are leaving the EU in droves due to this bureaucracy. Just try starting a small business in Germany for example... it's exhausting. California in the US is having a similar problem. Healthcare and medical companies for example not only have to deal with the federal regulatory bodies like FDA, but California also has their own independent "FDB" that also perform their own separate audits and such... and this is the case in many other industries as well.

TSMC runs on machines from ASML, which is a Dutch company. There are many “background” industries like that where European companies are global market leaders.

Companies like Apple also maintain R&D centers in Europe.

It's not Europe, it's Brussels. We don't control it, it is not accountable to us , we re just watching from afar, the same way that you do.

> I live in Europe

> I have lived in Silicon Valley for two decades

Why are you living in Europe if you such US corporation fanboy?

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