Europe
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Europe 2023
Author: Jason Sooter
Notebook: Travel
Review: Epic!
Trip across Europe spurred by a sabbatical of sorts for being at Twilio for 3 years, coined the “Twilio Recharge”.
The route consists of 10 cities:
- Helsinki, Finland
- Sweden
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Germany
- Utrecht, Netherlands
- Belgium
- France
- Barcelona, Spain
- Lisbon
Taking Europe for Granted
Metadata
- Author: people/authors/leon-sandner
- Full Title: Taking Europe for Granted
- Document Note: TODO Process this into a note that helps build the foundation for why I want to move to Europe
- Document Tags: article-shortlist shortlist-article
- Summary: Leon Sandner argues that Europe is often taken for granted, despite its strong foundations like quality of life and social fabric. He believes European founders see the U.S. as a stepping stone, wanting to return and improve Europe. To enhance innovation, Europe should adopt a bolder mindset, focus on fewer powerful ecosystems, and streamline governance.
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/leon-sandner\_after-4-months-in-silicon-valley-i-realized-activity-7282388009193287680-stO8/
Highlights
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We’re taking Europe for granted. Everyone’s talking about Europe’s decline. But I’ve noticed a pattern talking to European founders in SF: most of them see the US as a chapter, not the whole story. They want to “make it” there, learn from the best, but ultimately return to Europe. (View Highlight)
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And it makes sense. In Europe: (View Highlight)
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our cities are built for humans, not just cars. Getting around on foot or by bike is the norm, not an act of rebellion. (View Highlight)
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the buildings here don’t feel like they were assembled with popsicle sticks. (Sleeping without 3 hoodies, thanks to proper insulation, is nice too.) (View Highlight)
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you can actually trust the quality of your food. And real bread! Not that spongy white stuff pretending to be bread. (View Highlight)
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the stark contrast between extreme wealth and poverty isn’t burning your eyes at every corner. You know you have a social system that catches you when you fall. (View Highlight)
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there’s a different rhythm to relationships: less about where the connection might lead, more about enjoying where it is right now. People connect over shared moments and genuine conversations, not just potential opportunities and status. (View Highlight)
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public discourse still has a foundation of shared reality. News isn’t entertainment, “facts” aren’t tribal identities, and most people still live in the same world - even if they see it differently. (View Highlight)
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You can’t sustainably build the future while sacrificing many things that make life worth living. Yes, Europe isn’t perfect. We have our issues. We’re often too risk-averse, too comfortable, too stuck in our ways. (View Highlight)
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But we already have the foundation most places dream of:
- Exceptional quality of life
- Robust infrastructure
- Strong social fabric
- Cultural depth (View Highlight)
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Now imagine combining this with: (View Highlight)
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a bolder mindset We need to dream bigger and build with more conviction. It’s time to shed our risk-averse culture and embrace ambitious moonshots. (View Highlight)
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concentrated innovation hubs Stop spreading resources thin across countless “innovation centers.” We need 3-4 dense, powerful ecosystems where talent, capital, and ambition collide - not 100 mediocre ones. (View Highlight)
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streamlined governance Not just less bureaucracy, but smarter less fragmented regulation that enables innovation while preserving what makes Europe great. (View Highlight)
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We don’t need to abandon Europe to build great things. We need to build great things to make Europe even greater. (View Highlight)
Americans, Europe is Not Stealing From Your Tech Companies
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](https://www.lleverage.ai/?utm\_source=Linkedin\&utm\_medium=Organic\&utm\_campaign=Jean\_profile)8h • 8 hours ago • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn
Americans: Europe is not “stealing” from your tech companies.
I keep seeing this chart with captions like “Europe subsidizes its economy by fining American companies.”
That’s not just wrong, it’s embarrassingly stupid.
American tech giants are paying for market access. Apple, Meta, Google, Amazon, they’re not operating in Europe out of charity. They’re here because it’s massively profitable. The EU market represents 450M consumers with high purchasing power. These fines are a cost of doing business in a regulated market, not a “subsidy.”
These companies have choices: Comply with regulations (like USB-C on iPhones), pay fines and continue operating profitably, or exit the market. They consistently choose options 1 or 2. Why? Because even after fines, European operations are hugely profitable.
Compare the scale: Meta generated €1,049M in fines but likely generated tens of billions in European revenue. Google paid billions in fines and still considers Europe a critical market. This isn’t evidence of Europe “taking advantage”, it’s evidence of how valuable European market access is to these companies.
The real story is just that Europe has different regulatory frameworks around data privacy, competition, and consumer protection. Companies entering any market (whether it’s Europe, China, India, or anywhere else) face local regulations. That’s not leeching, that’s sovereignty.
As someone building a tech company in Europe, I see this dynamic from the inside. When working with traditional Dutch and European businesses, we navigate regulations that protect workers, data, and competition. These aren’t obstacles… they’re the rules of the game.
The chart that’s going viral isn’t evidence of European weakness. It’s evidence of European market power.
Stop confusing regulatory enforcement with subsidies. They’re not the same thing.
