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> There just isn't much innovation going on in Europe. Wow. I'd argue the opposite is true. There's a lot of innovation going on in Europe - but a) it takes a

> There just isn't much innovation going on in Europe. Wow. I'd argue the opposite is true. There's a lot of innovation going on in Europe - but a) it takes a long time for 'innovation' to filter through to the consumer, and b) successful consumer companies tend to win on brand, not tech. The big problem in Europe (vs US) IMO is the risk tolerance of VCs, capital available, valuations, and large market size. I personally know quite a few founders who started consumer tech companies in Europe and quickly moved at least part of their operations to the US as soon as they were ready to scale.

wutbrodo 8y ago
I'm not opposed to this view, since I don't really know the European tech market very well, but can you give me some examples to understand better? I'm sure in some absolute sense there is "a lot" of innovation in the European tech industry, but my uninformed impression was that, in the context of US tech innovation, it's fairly minimal.
- louisswiss 8y ago
  Check out Barrin92's answer (above/below my original comment) for some examples. I'm no expert on how you'd measure tech innovation. Perhaps patents - but US patents are much easier to get and much more easily awarded than in the EU, so probably not a great indicator of innovation (especially considering that more patent applications were filed in China in 2016 than the rest of the world combined). Elite research universities might be a good indicator. I haven't got the rankings to hand, but am willing to stand corrected that the EU is at least on a par with the US in that regard. Consumer banking is probably one area where 'tech innovation' has been much more widely embraced in Europe than in the US. Is that the kind of thing you meant? If not, perhaps you could give me some examples of technical innovation which is common in the US and rare/lacking in Europe?
auganov 8y ago
If we're talking about computer related tech then it's not even a contest. Pick any number be it total funding, exits, whatever and the US is going to win by an order of magnitude. Traditional industries are perhaps doing better, not sure. I hear that Europeans tend to be more innovative in manufacturing, factory tech etc. But I wouldn't know enough to have an opinion. If you look at the GDPs something must be going okayish. But it sure isn't startups. I agree on VCs and capital but that's just a symptom IMO. The risk aversion goes all the way down. So does the conservatism. Moving to the US is easier than changing the culture.

wutbrodo 8y ago

I'm not opposed to this view, since I don't really know the European tech market very well, but can you give me some examples to understand better? I'm sure in some absolute sense there is "a lot" of innovation in the European tech industry, but my uninformed impression was that, in the context of US tech innovation, it's fairly minimal.

louisswiss 8y ago
Check out Barrin92's answer (above/below my original comment) for some examples. I'm no expert on how you'd measure tech innovation. Perhaps patents - but US patents are much easier to get and much more easily awarded than in the EU, so probably not a great indicator of innovation (especially considering that more patent applications were filed in China in 2016 than the rest of the world combined). Elite research universities might be a good indicator. I haven't got the rankings to hand, but am willing to stand corrected that the EU is at least on a par with the US in that regard. Consumer banking is probably one area where 'tech innovation' has been much more widely embraced in Europe than in the US. Is that the kind of thing you meant? If not, perhaps you could give me some examples of technical innovation which is common in the US and rare/lacking in Europe?

auganov 8y ago

If we're talking about computer related tech then it's not even a contest. Pick any number be it total funding, exits, whatever and the US is going to win by an order of magnitude. Traditional industries are perhaps doing better, not sure. I hear that Europeans tend to be more innovative in manufacturing, factory tech etc. But I wouldn't know enough to have an opinion. If you look at the GDPs something must be going okayish. But it sure isn't startups. I agree on VCs and capital but that's just a symptom IMO. The risk aversion goes all the way down. So does the conservatism. Moving to the US is easier than changing the culture.