3 ms·

EU will learn the hard way that this kind of protectionism is creating far bigger problems than it tries to solve. Soon all the big tech companies (read lots of

EU will learn the hard way that this kind of protectionism is creating far bigger problems than it tries to solve. Soon all the big tech companies (read lots of jobs) will leave for greener pastures e.g. UK, South Africa, SE-Asia, AU.

piva00 7y ago
No sane company will leave the second largest market and GDP area of the world, it would take a really lot to make them go to "greener pastures". "Think of the jobs" is the ultimate callout of corporate defenders, while the EU is a huge profitable market for these companies they will stick around... Just compare to what happens in China, if that country still attracts tech companies then I don't think the EU will be shedding them anytime soon.
- Silhouette 7y ago
  No sane company will leave the second largest market and GDP area of the world, it would take a really lot to make them go to "greener pastures". That isn't necessarily true at all. The EU may be a large market, but that doesn't necessarily mean it represents a proportionately large contribution to the revenues of any given business that trades with EU customers. For example, in the world of small tech businesses I operate in, I know of several examples who do offer their services to EU customers like anyone else. However, with hindsight, those businesses would have chosen to give up the relatively small proportion of their business that comes from elsewhere in the EU some time ago, if that also saved them the time and money they spent complying with ever-increasing levels of EU red tape. I even know some people who feel so strongly about this that they voted for Brexit because of it.
  - blub 7y ago
    It seems to me that tech businesses really have an inflated sense of self-importance and a deep aversion to anything which might impede them from abusing people's (private) information.
    - Silhouette 7y ago
      It's unfortunate when people resort to stereotypes. It means the vast majority of businesses that aren't doing something shady get penalised for the actions of the relatively few that are.
  - piva00 7y ago
    I thought it was clearly implied in my comment that "no sane company [which has expressive market share coming from the EU] will leave the second largest...". I'm sorry to pick out on this but it's really tiring to go into any discussion having to state all of the intentions and disclaimers before making an argument just to avoid someone nitpicking on semantics and derailing from the main point.
    - Silhouette 7y ago
      Unfortunately, in any discussion about European politics at the moment, over-generalisation is the cause of much confusion and numerous misunderstandings. Sometimes qualifiers you consider implicit aren't obvious to someone reading your comment. I'm writing this from the UK, where Brexit seems like the only political topic in town right now. The way the media reports it, and the way the government talks about it, you'd think we were a country full of large manufacturing businesses that do most of their trade with the EU, yet in reality most of our economy is service-based, the majority of it is SMEs, and only a relatively small proportion of our businesses do any trade with the EU at all. I'm sorry if I misunderstood what you meant, but I don't think it was unfair to challenge what you actually wrote, given that many of the large tech businesses we were discussing up to that point do not in fact have the kind of ties to the EU that your comment was talking about, the EU does have a relatively weak tech sector, and the heavy regulatory environment is a contributor to that. This isn't just a nitpick. It fundamentally supports the position of the person you were disagreeing with and contradicts your own argument.
bestouff 7y ago
That's a few thousands employees at best, and not the kind of people that have difficulties finding a job. I don't think anyone is scared.
- avocado4 7y ago
  Employees will move to the UK/US/AU out of EU if Google moves out. There's no need to be second sort at a local low-paying EU firm if you can work at a company in a country that actually values your talent.
  - Daishiman 7y ago
    This is an astonishingly ignorant take. You think the world of excellence in tech starts and finishes with Google? You think there aren't tons of firms in the EU that do real, quality engineering? Laughable.
rad_gruchalski 7y ago
If people in these regions want to be exploited, sure, good luck.
fauigerzigerk 7y ago
If this is protectionism, it is spectacularly unsuccessful protectionism. Google, for instance, has a higher market share in Europe than even in the US. Compare that to China where both Google and Facebook have a market share close to zero.
NeedMoreTea 7y ago
It's far more likely the jobs will leave the UK for the EU than vice versa. Presuming Brexit eventually happens, that is.
cuban-frisbee 7y ago
How exactly is not letting foreign companies break the law protectionism when you also don't let domestic companies break the law?
weinzierl 7y ago
I don't agree with you, but you raised a valid point which doesn't deserve to be down voted.

piva00 7y ago

No sane company will leave the second largest market and GDP area of the world, it would take a really lot to make them go to "greener pastures". "Think of the jobs" is the ultimate callout of corporate defenders, while the EU is a huge profitable market for these companies they will stick around... Just compare to what happens in China, if that country still attracts tech companies then I don't think the EU will be shedding them anytime soon.

Silhouette 7y ago
No sane company will leave the second largest market and GDP area of the world, it would take a really lot to make them go to "greener pastures". That isn't necessarily true at all. The EU may be a large market, but that doesn't necessarily mean it represents a proportionately large contribution to the revenues of any given business that trades with EU customers. For example, in the world of small tech businesses I operate in, I know of several examples who do offer their services to EU customers like anyone else. However, with hindsight, those businesses would have chosen to give up the relatively small proportion of their business that comes from elsewhere in the EU some time ago, if that also saved them the time and money they spent complying with ever-increasing levels of EU red tape. I even know some people who feel so strongly about this that they voted for Brexit because of it.
- blub 7y ago
  It seems to me that tech businesses really have an inflated sense of self-importance and a deep aversion to anything which might impede them from abusing people's (private) information.
  - Silhouette 7y ago
    It's unfortunate when people resort to stereotypes. It means the vast majority of businesses that aren't doing something shady get penalised for the actions of the relatively few that are.
- piva00 7y ago
  I thought it was clearly implied in my comment that "no sane company [which has expressive market share coming from the EU] will leave the second largest...". I'm sorry to pick out on this but it's really tiring to go into any discussion having to state all of the intentions and disclaimers before making an argument just to avoid someone nitpicking on semantics and derailing from the main point.
  - Silhouette 7y ago
    Unfortunately, in any discussion about European politics at the moment, over-generalisation is the cause of much confusion and numerous misunderstandings. Sometimes qualifiers you consider implicit aren't obvious to someone reading your comment. I'm writing this from the UK, where Brexit seems like the only political topic in town right now. The way the media reports it, and the way the government talks about it, you'd think we were a country full of large manufacturing businesses that do most of their trade with the EU, yet in reality most of our economy is service-based, the majority of it is SMEs, and only a relatively small proportion of our businesses do any trade with the EU at all. I'm sorry if I misunderstood what you meant, but I don't think it was unfair to challenge what you actually wrote, given that many of the large tech businesses we were discussing up to that point do not in fact have the kind of ties to the EU that your comment was talking about, the EU does have a relatively weak tech sector, and the heavy regulatory environment is a contributor to that. This isn't just a nitpick. It fundamentally supports the position of the person you were disagreeing with and contradicts your own argument.

bestouff 7y ago

That's a few thousands employees at best, and not the kind of people that have difficulties finding a job. I don't think anyone is scared.

avocado4 7y ago
Employees will move to the UK/US/AU out of EU if Google moves out. There's no need to be second sort at a local low-paying EU firm if you can work at a company in a country that actually values your talent.
- Daishiman 7y ago
  This is an astonishingly ignorant take. You think the world of excellence in tech starts and finishes with Google? You think there aren't tons of firms in the EU that do real, quality engineering? Laughable.

rad_gruchalski 7y ago

If people in these regions want to be exploited, sure, good luck.

fauigerzigerk 7y ago

If this is protectionism, it is spectacularly unsuccessful protectionism. Google, for instance, has a higher market share in Europe than even in the US. Compare that to China where both Google and Facebook have a market share close to zero.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago

It's far more likely the jobs will leave the UK for the EU than vice versa. Presuming Brexit eventually happens, that is.

cuban-frisbee 7y ago

How exactly is not letting foreign companies break the law protectionism when you also don't let domestic companies break the law?

weinzierl 7y ago

I don't agree with you, but you raised a valid point which doesn't deserve to be down voted.