A social media platform doesn't have the same networking effect when everyone speaks different languages. If you make a social media site in country A, and get everyone to use it there, happened a lot in Europe, but it doesn't spread to neighboring countries since all users spoke a different language.
This means that only really large countries can compete here since they start out with a big userbase and its much more likely for a smaller countries population to migrate to a large app than vice versa.
Where I live it took to after 2010 until American social media was more popular than local ones.
TikTok only succeed because it came from a large country then? A country that doesn't even speak english, nor any european language. Oh, that was because the Chinese government was behind it with much money and influence says the EU.
So Nestle can only succeed because it comes from Switzland? A non-european country within the EU. ARM succeeds because it is British and outside the EU.
Lets face it, the EU cannot create a) global cloud services (aka AWS), b) global search engine (aka google), c) global social media and d) global tech infrastructure (i.e. GPU chips). Only everyone else can do those things because .... well because the EU has so many separate cultures and languages. So cooperation is impossible.
EU can build giant particle accelerators, a space agency and a bureaucracy to stifle any innovation that isn't lead by some large established european consultancy company. EU can organise a huge increase in military spending. The EU can build fences around europe to ensure refugees don't get in.
But the EU cannot build a single search engine of global note. Yeck Google is simply too good. Even DuckDuckGo has managed to become a competitor but the EU? Too hard. Too fucking hard for the EU.
Fuck I'm sick and tired of hearing the poor EU complain about technology. It's been long enough and yet the EU cannot seem to compete. Remember when it came clear that the NSA was spying on European leaders? Well what has happened since? Nothing. Nichts. Rien. Niente. Nada. Nic.
The EU is rapidly becoming a giant open-air mueseum for tourists coming from countries that can do tech.
> TikTok only succeed because it came from a large country then?
And USA is going to buy TikTok, just like they did almost every European tech company. You don't see what is happening here, do you? Bigger tech companies eat smaller ones because software is much more prone to networking effects than other industries.
> Fuck I'm sick and tired of hearing the poor EU complain about technology
You are the one complaining, I just explained why it happened like it happened.
> Lets face it, the EU cannot create d) global tech infrastructure (i.e. GPU chips).
AMSL is European, you are just wrong here, the whole worlds tech industry depends on AMSL. Europe is very strong in many industries, just not software. It is USA that can't do tech hardware, its all made in Europe and Asia now.
> AMSL is European
At least we Europeans have the tools to build chips ... unfortunately we don't use those tools.
Why is that? Because no EU country has a large enough userbase? Or is because regulation to protect our "environment"? Or did someone forget to click "yes accept all cookies" GDPR banner?
> Europe is very strong in many industries,
Regulations being an up & coming one.
Just look what's happening to the food industry in the US thanks to regulations.
When a loaded guy in the US dies sooner than the low class in Spain, something it's really wrong with your nutrition, healthcare and tons of troubles to be able to walk to a nearby store.
European here. You know nil about Europe. Europe has been using English as the de facto language in tech/science since decades. Sorry if I burst your American bubble.