> If Europe wants to have its citizens (and companies) rely significantly on European-operated software, it has no choice but to develop better software, and to also offer that for free
It already does. Look at the very large number of open source projects (like Linux) that originated or received substantial contributions from continental European volunteers.
What Europe doesn't have is a strong VC infrastructure or a large density of software engineers in any given location to simplify growth scaling.
Some of these are changing. Whether they will change fast enough to compete in software is another story, but it's very likely that Europe will be better positioned to take advantage of the next tech revolution. You can already see this in biotech.
what Europe also doesn't have is a true single market. It has fractured markets, each with a different language, different legal requirements and so on.
For all the disagreements here, look at where people move. Only around 5% of EU citizens live and work in an [edit: EU] country other than their own and a large slice of that is people from the east moving west. Only a sliver is highly skilled work and the majority is semi-skilled or low-skilled. The EU loves to boast about how freedom of movement of people is an important pillar but getting it to work over the long term is still a bureaucratic nightmare.
Meanwhile, the US continues to vacuum up talent from across the world despite an utterly broken immigration system. Heck, even Canada is a top destination for talent due to its proximity to the US.
It already does. Look at the very large number of open source projects (like Linux) that originated or received substantial contributions from continental European volunteers.
What Europe doesn't have is a strong VC infrastructure or a large density of software engineers in any given location to simplify growth scaling.
Some of these are changing. Whether they will change fast enough to compete in software is another story, but it's very likely that Europe will be better positioned to take advantage of the next tech revolution. You can already see this in biotech.