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Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

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Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#321

Post by jeswin »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #285
fvdessen wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was still not that long ago an incredible amount of innovative companies and products in Europe. But at that time companies were still built for their home markets first and on that regard the USA is big and unified. Since software is mostly winner takes all it means that when the USA companies came to Europe they had already won the USA and could steamroll the local competition There is for example no way a sw…

Banning monopolies (not just foreign ones) may also have worked, and is probably the smartest plan for the planet as a whole. I'd say the main US advantage is that it's set up to create stagnant monopolies that can then leverage that power into other areas. Microsoft is now one of the players in gaming consoles, but they basically bought their way in on the back of monopoly rents from Office and OS.

That's not monopolistic abuse; what you described is just investment in a new sector with profits from an existing one. Companies, investors and funds do it all the time.

Abuse would be when a company leverages a monopoly to enter or influence another market, such as bundling Internet Explorer with Windows.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#322

Post by realityking »

ainiriand wrote: post #241
Aerroon wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's more of a case of "most electronics and everything that runs on it is not made in Europe". I'm a European posting on an American company's forum using a browser made in the US running on an operating system made by an American company running on a phone designed and built in China with components made in a variety of countries that aren't in Europe. The same goes for using a desktop PC. Even most of the…

Linux was developed by finnish guy and the www protocol was developed by a brit.

Interesting that you picked two examples where the innovation wasn’t commercialized and the innovator did not become rich. I suspect there‘s some cultural aspect to that.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#323

Post by madengr »

sorval wrote: post #114
koolba wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cities and States with the worst public education systems and the highest crime rates have been run by one party, the Democrats, for 50+ years. Some 100+! They can and have continued to raise taxes and subsequently squander any money they collect. Any attempt to break that stranglehold, such as changing teachers union hiring practices or allowing for charter schools, is met with total resistance. You’re right tha…

Thats just utterly untrue and the reverse of whats actually true. "states that were coded as blue based upon results from the 2004 presidential election were significantly higher in education funding than were states coded as red. Students in blue states scored significantly higher on outcome measures of math and reading in grades four and eight than did students in red states." https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED5…

They didn’t score significantly higher, just slightly higher. There isn’t much discrepancy between NE blue states and central red states on that table. If you sort at 8th grade scores, some blue states fall out of the top group.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#324

Post by fredthomsen »

88840-8855 wrote: post #248
fvdessen wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was still not that long ago an incredible amount of innovative companies and products in Europe. But at that time companies were still built for their home markets first and on that regard the USA is big and unified. Since software is mostly winner takes all it means that when the USA companies came to Europe they had already won the USA and could steamroll the local competition There is for example no way a sw…

I like your points and agree on your conclusion. Further, I would like to add a few ideas: - innovation in Europe can only scale if we achieve a higher degree of unity in Europe, including one common language, one common jurisdiction and law framework. Localization is just too expensive in Europe and hinders scaling. - a certain degree of protectionism is good. I am a big fan of how China made it. They have a really…

I don't agree that centralization in Europe is the answer, that's exactly how you end up relying on others manufacturing capacity. Decentralize more so when the political winds change you are not at the mercy of other countries if your own nation has no manufacturing capacity to speak of.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#325

Post by AsyncAwait »

0xfaded wrote: post #306
AsyncAwait wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU is nowhere as culturally unified as the U.S is. So the pool of resources available isn't as large. I'd also not be so quick on the regulation front. Looking at the (lack of) environmental regulation in the US right about now or the absolute astonishing cost of any medical emergency, I'd say they went too far in the other direction.

The lack of cultural unity thing is a curtain to hide behind. There's no reason Europe can't have a powerful federal government, other than it would result in transfers from the "export based economies" to the others.

> There's no reason Europe can't have a powerful federal government

Europe does not share a language in common, a culture in common, not even a currency in common. The "federal government" idea would be rejected by many out of hand. The history of bitter wars between European countries has not simply been forgotten and many would feel it encroaches on their sovereignty.

Just look at the reaction to mild proposals for an EU armed force as an example, or the many "Euroskeptic" politicians going around.

I think you underestimate what it takes to form a strong federal government.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#326

Post by pmachinery »

0xfaded wrote: post #306
AsyncAwait wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU is nowhere as culturally unified as the U.S is. So the pool of resources available isn't as large. I'd also not be so quick on the regulation front. Looking at the (lack of) environmental regulation in the US right about now or the absolute astonishing cost of any medical emergency, I'd say they went too far in the other direction.

The lack of cultural unity thing is a curtain to hide behind. There's no reason Europe can't have a powerful federal government, other than it would result in transfers from the "export based economies" to the others.

The reason Europe can't have a powerful federal government is that most people in Europe quite rightly don't want one.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#327

Post by trident1000 »

anoncareer0212 wrote: post #27
trident1000 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No not reversed. This is public information.

Exactly - development began in 2014, it was acquired in 2014, games against Sodol were March 2016. (I'm somewhat cheating here, so it's unfair, but I gotta tell you it's a real headscratcher having a stranger explain this to me while they're not checking wikipedia)

Alpha Go was already launched when Google acquired it. Youre a moron. I dont know what elese to say.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#328

Post by saalweachter »

irrational wrote: post #278
88840-8855 wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like your points and agree on your conclusion. Further, I would like to add a few ideas: - innovation in Europe can only scale if we achieve a higher degree of unity in Europe, including one common language, one common jurisdiction and law framework. Localization is just too expensive in Europe and hinders scaling. - a certain degree of protectionism is good. I am a big fan of how China made it. They have a really…

What could the one common language be? English would seem to be the logical choice, but there is no way France would agree to that.

Latin is tanned, rested and ready.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#329

Post by sjg007 »

hvasilev wrote: post #317

When innovation in the world of bits is no longer sufficient and mass innovation in the physical world is required, what is the western world going to do? Knowledge is not something permanent and mass production was centralized in China decades ago. Nobody around you remembers how to build real things, unlike your competition in China. They call the shots now... "Almighty Chinese gods, can you please design, prototyp…

Not true at all.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#330

Post by solstice »

notwatching wrote: post #307

Schmidt has the typical perspective of someone who knows nothing about China. For ease, I've singled out this one point: > For example, Chinese telecoms infrastructure giant Huawei spends as much as $20bn (£15.6bn) on research and development - one of the highest budgets in the world. Any member of Chinese society knows that budgets like this are announced to look impressive, and that the money itself goes through so…

To be fair, Schmidt's larger point seemed to be about how bad the US has been doing and he used China as a counter example to illustrate that. If his counter example turns out to be exaggerated that doesn't change the fact that US r&d spending is lower than before Sputnik. (I have no idea whether his numbers are right.) Your point to not believe the hype is a very good one though.
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