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Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

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Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#71

Post by ltbarcly3 »

mst wrote: post #58
ltbarcly3 wrote: post #23

This reads like a 10th graders report, just repeating arguments found on the internet. The criticism of forcing apple to abandon a superior connector for phones to standardize charger cords, while every other building you go into in Europe has a different outlet that is incompatible with the charger you want to plug in is perfectly reasonable. The idea that there is some great benefit to making sure there is only one…

This is an explanation of the EU's point of view and motivations and how you can use understanding that to predict their actions. Calling those actions 'fundamentally stupid' will not, in fact, change reality, and thinking such an opinion has any relevance to doing business in the real world is precisely the class of mistake the author's trying to point out.

The article does not just explain the reality of doing business. I doubt you actually read it. There is an entire paragraph defending the connector situation and justifying inaction on the incompatibility of outlets. Its not saying “this is the reality, do better at accepting it”, it is making policy justification arguments. It is perfectly valid to point out that those arguments are stupid.

I could use your weird, strained logic to just say that you can’t convince me, so you are wrong to try and your attempts to convince me won’t change the reality and therefore you are wrong to discuss anything I do or say critically. That is what you are doing on behalf of EU regulators.

Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#72

Post by mousetree »

frizlab wrote: post #53
mdrzn wrote: post #31

Finally more people are figuring out that the EU is a net positive and not a net negative. Love my Europe.

I am European and hate all the regulations they’ve done so far. I know it’s a very rare pov, but for me all of these new legislations are terrible both for the consumers AND the small developers (which I am both). The ONLY people getting something are the somewhat big companies.

Which regulations do you feel are terrible for consumers and small developers?

Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#73

Post by wouldbecouldbe »

dkjaudyeqooe wrote: post #10

What amazes and perplexes me is that Apple thinks it can effectively play politics against the EU and that somehow their customers will back them in the face of the "consequences" Apple applies, which are pretty transparent and really quite amateurish (eg no more web apps for you!). As the article states, the first mistake Apple makes is thinking the EU is somehow like the US, but I can't see how any large proportion…

It's suprising that the US still holds itself as the champion of the free market where it's more a corporate Oligarchy. It's clear Apple is trying to be as monopolistic as possible, understable from their perspective, but it's the EU job to regulate it, just a shame of the US fell so deep.

Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#74

Post by Beretta_Vexee »

A common mistake is to think that the EU is limited to a few large economies (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland), but this is not the case.

Ensuring that a Croatian SME can win contracts with the French or Germans is one of the EU's priority objectives. This is how the EU has lifted millions of people out of poverty. This is a very tangible reality. It worked with East Germany, Spain, Poland, the Baltic States and now the Balkans.

The European Commission is litteraly there to ensure that a water heater designed by an Italian, made by a Romanian from Polish steel, inspected by an Italian and put on the market by a Frenchman guarantees high quality standards. They take this mission very seriously because it's not just about protectionism or trade competition. It's a political project of peace and improvement of the living standards for Europeans.

You'd have to know very little about the European Union to believe that it was prepared to negotiate or grant a free pass to Apple.

Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#76

Post by nonethewiser »

> You can’t be a good manager or executive, in any industry, if you operate in constant denial of the facts on the ground. Arguing from ideology or beliefs that aren’t grounded in observation, measurement, or study, is the hallmark of a politician or media personality, not a manager responsible for other people’s jobs.

This makes me think of John Mearsheimer’s breakdown of realism vs liberalism in the context of inter relations on Fridman’s podcast. He suggests American leaders are particularly idealistic (operating on “should”) whereas others are realists (operating on “what is”).

I wonder if its more universal than political leadership.

Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#77

Post by soco »

blitzar wrote: post #65
throwaway473825 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>EU citizens haven't been brainwashed into thinking that their government is their enemy, at least not to the same extent as the US. The same phenomenon can be seen in other areas, such as digital cash: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Dpu6G_UlSdM On paper, digital cash is superior to both physical cash and digital bank money in almost all aspects, but many Americans oppose it anyway because they see their government as t…

Yet digital cash is seen by actual true patriots as the solution to free themselves from the enemy the government .

As an European I fail to see how I could call myself patriot and at the same time distrust my own government - elected by me. Even if I didn't like the government, I'd still go with it because it's representing my country, and I'd also try to change the aspects which I don't like, again because it's my country. Those "actual true patriots" sound to me more like actual true selfish people which only want things happening according to their own ideas and needs.

Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#78

Post by bengale »

mjburgess wrote: post #24
dkjaudyeqooe wrote: post #10

What amazes and perplexes me is that Apple thinks it can effectively play politics against the EU and that somehow their customers will back them in the face of the "consequences" Apple applies, which are pretty transparent and really quite amateurish (eg no more web apps for you!). As the article states, the first mistake Apple makes is thinking the EU is somehow like the US, but I can't see how any large proportion…

It does seem they've mistaken the general sentiment towards government regulation in europe, which is typically, "more, better". Since we have so many consumer protections, much of how we end up engaging with the law around business practices is to our benefit . We're always aware we can raise bad business practices with an ombudsman (etc.). So our lived experience of government regulation is, in large part, positive…

> the general sentiment towards government regulation in europe, which is typically, "more, better".

I'd need to be convinced that's true. More regulation was a huge part of the successful campaign to get the UK out of the EU. It seems to get effusive praise in places like this, but in daily business, I generally hear the term GDPR spat. Is anyone expecting the incoming car regulation around beeps and bongs every time you approach the speed limit to be received well by ordinary people? The USBC stuff that this article heaps praise on is a great example, techies love it, everyone else in everyday life I've only heard complain about it. Maybe it improves things long-term, but I can't remember hearing anyone say "more, better" about any of these things.

I would say the overall sentiment I've heard is that there is a general suspicion that the reason European business lags so far behind the US is that we're held back. I don't think the handful of people that will be able to play Fortnite on their iPhones will change this. It certainly wont if they end up needing multiple app stores for their daily apps.

Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#79

Post by klabb3 »

The author is right but makes a similar mistake as the Americans, given he’s European. He does not clarify what market means. This can be perplexing and misunderstood by an American audience.

Market in the US is such a different thing. American companies like TurboTax and Comcast are operating (by American standards) right within the market. In fact, probably “better” than everyone else. The market is a Wild West where the goal is domination of a segment, ideally multiple ones. Like United healthcare is today.

In the EU markets mean competitive (more traditional) markets. For instance, the telecom roaming charges he brings up, are a perfect example of a Comcast-like perverted industry that simply got broken up. It used to be ludicrous prices - pushing people towards hotel WiFi or a surprise bill - then suddenly there are 10s of GB free. Nobody died and everyone got it better.

In America, this would be the equivalent of waking up one day and ISP prices had dropped by half and there are 10 providers to choose from, basically no matter where you lived.

Having lived in the US, nobody expects this. Even with things like student loan forgiveness, universal healthcare etc nobody actually expects these things to come without absolute giant catches - layering of new bureaucracy and hidden fees. So there’s a skepticism against these things. By extension, there is skepticism against the EU. “What are they up to, those sneaky fucks?”

As a European with a decent leaning towards classical markets and liberalism, my take is that the US has truly reached market perversion, to the extent that Milton Friedman would roll in his grave. The neo-liberalist pro-corporate tilt that we're seeing in the US today is beyond what I’d argue even the most laissez faire economical thinkers of the 20th century. It’s the opposite of what a free market should be. All the arguments for economic liberalism are based in the freedom to compete fairly. Without that, it’s just oligarchy with a different flag.

Re: Facing reality about the EU is a core requirement for good management

#80

Post by imp0cat »

frizlab wrote: post #53
mdrzn wrote: post #31

Finally more people are figuring out that the EU is a net positive and not a net negative. Love my Europe.

I am European and hate all the regulations they’ve done so far. I know it’s a very rare pov, but for me all of these new legislations are terrible both for the consumers AND the small developers (which I am both). The ONLY people getting something are the somewhat big companies.

Including USB-C? I find that hard to believe.
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