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This article is complete rubbish and bears no resemblance to fact whatsoever. I live and work in Europe, run my own business in Europe and have had some involve

by bdfh42 17y ago

This article is complete rubbish and bears no resemblance to fact whatsoever. I live and work in Europe, run my own business in Europe and have had some involvement in a number of start-ups.

davidw 17y ago
Confirmed. I've worked for plenty of European startups (and other companies) that bear no resemblance to this: "a company is willed into existence by the government as a public-private partnership when a need has been identified by the bureaucrats and political leaders. The goals are clear, and design happens after the money is on the table and an initial committee of experts has been recruited." There are things like that, but there are in the US too. It's the exception though, rather than the rule, even here. There are problems in Europe, but my will to continue reading faltered upon reading the silly caricature.
- enki 17y ago
  well, if you've worked for startups, then you've worked for the exception. i'm not saying there aren't any, just fewer than would make sense. i hope there will be more startups in europe in the future, and some people are already doing a great job, but the majority hasn't even taken notice that you can start companies that way, yet.
  - davidw 17y ago
    Come on. Europe is not the Soviet Union, and while the government sticks its nose in things in plenty of ways, there is plenty of space for entrepreneurs, startups, and all kinds of businesses that aren't some kind of government-created entity. Let's talk about the real problems with Europe & startups, not made-up ones. Here's my take on things: http://journal.dedasys.com/2008/12/13/startups-and-work-europe-vs-the-us http://journal.dedasys.com/2008/12/13/startups-and-work-euro...
  - mattmanser 17y ago
    I've worked for two startups in the UK and neither resembled this. What about Virgin, EasyJet, Last.fm, etc. etc. No government money there. This article describes an extremely small minority of startups, the exceptions, not the rule. Startups aren't a revolutionary new thing, they've happened throughout history. It just happens to be in vogue to talk about them at the moment. The article is absurd as it uses examples of big infrastructure companies that HAD to be setup by government in the past as the infrastructure costs were too high to a startup (telcos, post offices) and compares them to Google which had low costs to begin with. It's attacking a straw doll.
  - wlievens 17y ago
    If your point is that youngsters in continental Europe are less entrepreneurial in general, I think you're right. Not one of the students I studied with has started a company. I'm not just talking about those I befriended, I'm talking about entire classes. The fact that my alma mater has one tech spinoff every 3 years on average is further evidence of this. I don't know a single tech-sector person under fifty who has started on his own. It's as if geeks in my country are more timid or something.
CaptainCrap 17y ago
While the article exaggerates some points, there is a cultural difference between Europe and America when it comes to these things. As someone who was born and has lived most of my life in Europe I'm well familiar with how the "system" works and how people think, and it frustrates me. While there of course are lots of individuals in Europe with an entrepreneurial mindset, the vast majority still relies too much on the states and their bureaucracies. It's not so much the governments' fault as it is everyone's. When noone steps up to do the job, the state has to do it for them.
- weavejester 17y ago
  Which European countries have you lived in?

by bdfh42 17y ago

This article is complete rubbish and bears no resemblance to fact whatsoever. I live and work in Europe, run my own business in Europe and have had some involvement in a number of start-ups.

davidw 17y ago

Confirmed. I've worked for plenty of European startups (and other companies) that bear no resemblance to this: "a company is willed into existence by the government as a public-private partnership when a need has been identified by the bureaucrats and political leaders. The goals are clear, and design happens after the money is on the table and an initial committee of experts has been recruited." There are things like that, but there are in the US too. It's the exception though, rather than the rule, even here. There are problems in Europe, but my will to continue reading faltered upon reading the silly caricature.

enki 17y ago
well, if you've worked for startups, then you've worked for the exception. i'm not saying there aren't any, just fewer than would make sense. i hope there will be more startups in europe in the future, and some people are already doing a great job, but the majority hasn't even taken notice that you can start companies that way, yet.
- davidw 17y ago
  Come on. Europe is not the Soviet Union, and while the government sticks its nose in things in plenty of ways, there is plenty of space for entrepreneurs, startups, and all kinds of businesses that aren't some kind of government-created entity. Let's talk about the real problems with Europe & startups, not made-up ones. Here's my take on things: http://journal.dedasys.com/2008/12/13/startups-and-work-europe-vs-the-us http://journal.dedasys.com/2008/12/13/startups-and-work-euro...
- mattmanser 17y ago
  I've worked for two startups in the UK and neither resembled this. What about Virgin, EasyJet, Last.fm, etc. etc. No government money there. This article describes an extremely small minority of startups, the exceptions, not the rule. Startups aren't a revolutionary new thing, they've happened throughout history. It just happens to be in vogue to talk about them at the moment. The article is absurd as it uses examples of big infrastructure companies that HAD to be setup by government in the past as the infrastructure costs were too high to a startup (telcos, post offices) and compares them to Google which had low costs to begin with. It's attacking a straw doll.
- wlievens 17y ago
  If your point is that youngsters in continental Europe are less entrepreneurial in general, I think you're right. Not one of the students I studied with has started a company. I'm not just talking about those I befriended, I'm talking about entire classes. The fact that my alma mater has one tech spinoff every 3 years on average is further evidence of this. I don't know a single tech-sector person under fifty who has started on his own. It's as if geeks in my country are more timid or something.

CaptainCrap 17y ago

While the article exaggerates some points, there is a cultural difference between Europe and America when it comes to these things. As someone who was born and has lived most of my life in Europe I'm well familiar with how the "system" works and how people think, and it frustrates me. While there of course are lots of individuals in Europe with an entrepreneurial mindset, the vast majority still relies too much on the states and their bureaucracies. It's not so much the governments' fault as it is everyone's. When noone steps up to do the job, the state has to do it for them.

weavejester 17y ago
Which European countries have you lived in?