Hilariously confused. Tech is different from Big Tech, which is yet further different from Big Ad Tech.
For the avoidance of doubt, Wintel was Big Tech. The status quo now is Big Ad Tech.
The main economically positive thing for the US (and something Europeans absolutely screwed up in relative terms versus the US and increasingly China) is the early investment and adoption of Tech. Digitization as such is a great enabler.
But you don't need Big Tech oligopolies for a vibrant digital economy.
But even more importantly, you don't need bizarre Big Ad Tech commingled business models that build the economy's entire tech infrastructure - many parts of it having a critical utility like role - on the back of... ads.
But there is little scope for European schadenfreude. Arguably the US antitrust gears are moving precisely because people slowly wake up to the limits on economic opportunity placed by the Big Ad Tech status quo.
In Europe we are good at words and criticizing mistakes but deeds are scarce.
> Hilariously confused. Tech is different from Big Tech, which is yet further different from Big Ad Tech.
Big Ad Tech has been a money spigot for R&D in both hard and soft tech. This comes via M&A but also spawning a generation of VCs willing to fritter away adtech money on fun hard tech startups.
There is not a big source of VC funding for hardware startups that doesn't come directly or indirectly from Big Tech / Big Ad Tech revenue and valuations.
For the avoidance of doubt, Wintel was Big Tech. The status quo now is Big Ad Tech.
The main economically positive thing for the US (and something Europeans absolutely screwed up in relative terms versus the US and increasingly China) is the early investment and adoption of Tech. Digitization as such is a great enabler.
But you don't need Big Tech oligopolies for a vibrant digital economy.
But even more importantly, you don't need bizarre Big Ad Tech commingled business models that build the economy's entire tech infrastructure - many parts of it having a critical utility like role - on the back of... ads.
But there is little scope for European schadenfreude. Arguably the US antitrust gears are moving precisely because people slowly wake up to the limits on economic opportunity placed by the Big Ad Tech status quo.
In Europe we are good at words and criticizing mistakes but deeds are scarce.