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US threatens EU digital services market access

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Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#21

Post by eastbound »

jonnybgood wrote: post #15
nephihaha wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If these hadn't been allowed to emerge as monopolies we would have a wider selection.

Is that really the case for the EU? The EU doesn’t seem to foster an environment for competitive companies that can operate at the necessary scale the above listed can.

Yes, funnily, mutual tariffs on IT services between the EU and USA would incentivize competition, which is a good thing. Unless the EU is try incapable of doing IT right, in which case it would slow the the EU economy, but let’s assume we’ll improve on that.

Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#22

Post by csomar »

nephihaha wrote: post #14
shellwizard wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What alternatives to Microsoft, Google, IBM or AWS exist in Europe?

If these hadn't been allowed to emerge as monopolies we would have a wider selection.

No you would only have the European selection.

Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#23

Post by closewith »

techterrier wrote: post #19
closewith wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many EU Governments run entirely on MS/Meta/Amazon and to a lessor extent Google services. Many (most?) government services run on Azure or AWS, and huge parts of the continent run on WhatsApp.

And are rushing to get away! I work on a product thats source available and self hosted. Many of our new customers are EU gov agencies.

Good to hear, but probably depends on the country. Ireland is all-in on Azure and only deepening ties.

Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#24

Post by closewith »

RobotToaster wrote: post #18
closewith wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many EU Governments run entirely on MS/Meta/Amazon and to a lessor extent Google services. Many (most?) government services run on Azure or AWS, and huge parts of the continent run on WhatsApp.

Which is a huge mistake. We should have learned that the USA can't be trusted when Nixon ended bretton woods so it didn't have to give France it's gold back.

Agreed, and all the worse for being completely foreseeable.

Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#25

Post by piva00 »

jonnybgood wrote: post #15
nephihaha wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If these hadn't been allowed to emerge as monopolies we would have a wider selection.

Is that really the case for the EU? The EU doesn’t seem to foster an environment for competitive companies that can operate at the necessary scale the above listed can.

Mostly an artefact of the non-application of antitrust laws, the US selectively decided to not apply those anymore for the past 30-40 years, corporate consolidation takes hold, companies providing a service grow enormously and are allowed to swallow prominent competitors to stamp them out.

The EU has many competitive companies, I think HN is too focused on "tech" as in digital/web stuff and quite blind to other technological industries...

Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#26

Post by rvz »

The EU can only fine US tech giants because it's good at suffocating its own European companies with some of its members states having one of the highest taxes and subject to the EU's regulations.

It's no wonder AI startups like Mistral (France) are so dependent on US VCs and the same is true with Lovable (Sweden) who were able to grow faster than Europe trying to strangle them.

Since there are rare startup home-runs that are from Europe, the EU instead needs find a way to impose fines on US big tech companies. They (EU) will certainly do the same with the Big AI companies very soon.

Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#27

Post by nephihaha »

jonnybgood wrote: post #15
nephihaha wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If these hadn't been allowed to emerge as monopolies we would have a wider selection.

Is that really the case for the EU? The EU doesn’t seem to foster an environment for competitive companies that can operate at the necessary scale the above listed can.

It seems to be. As in most of the world, nearly everyone is divvied up between Apple and Microsoft, and use Google Search, with Wikipedia being the default place normies go for information. I know there are people who use Linux and prefer to use other search engines, but they are few and far between.

Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#29

Post by nephihaha »

csomar wrote: post #22
nephihaha wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If these hadn't been allowed to emerge as monopolies we would have a wider selection.

No you would only have the European selection.

There is currently no real European equivalent/serious competitor to the Apple/Microsoft duopoly, Google monopoly, Wikipedia monopoly etc.

Re: US threatens EU digital services market access

#30

Post by concinds »

jonnybgood wrote: post #15
nephihaha wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If these hadn't been allowed to emerge as monopolies we would have a wider selection.

Is that really the case for the EU? The EU doesn’t seem to foster an environment for competitive companies that can operate at the necessary scale the above listed can.

The EU has an extremely fragmented digital internal market, laws that suck for startups in most places, worse capital markets and funding mechanisms (and related laws), and doesn't have a Silicon Valley. It also underinvests in R&D and doesn't have a DARPA.

So yes, just tariffing or restricting US tech wouldn't help much. Europe "lost" that race fair and square. It needs to focus on fixing all those things.

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