In most areas of the German economy, IT is still seen as a necessary evil to be able to run "real" businesses like auto manufacturing. With the success of big

In most areas of the German economy, IT is still seen as a necessary evil to be able to run "real" businesses like auto manufacturing. With the success of big American social media companies like Facebook, the public mindset has started changing, but on a glacial timeline - too little, too late. German internet startups are comparable to their American counterparts nowadays. But the majority of IT jobs aren't at startups, but in other industries - and they still suffer from the image of being a necessary evil rather than an asset. One example is the desolate state of car-entertainment software even at the luxury brands. No German car manufacturer could come up with something like CarPlay or Android Auto. Not because they don't have the money to acquire the talent, but because of a "what we have is good enough" mindset.