Lots of the modern giants like Google are based on software and computers. Computing, electronics and semiconductors benefitted from being heavily invested in b

Lots of the modern giants like Google are based on software and computers. Computing, electronics and semiconductors benefitted from being heavily invested in by the US government long before commodization of the technologies took place in the form of military applications and the like. Cultural and technological headstart in computing is one good explanation. Most of Europe was in ruins after 1940:s, whereas the USA emerged from the war mostly unscathed and with a freshly mobilized manufacturing industry.