[kkjjkgjjgg]

How far along is the Texas Gigafactory in Texas? I think they started later than Berlin, but may finish first?

There may just be too much bureaucracy in Europe, too much socialism... People here don't want to be part of a company that does exciting things, they just want a well paid job they can't be fired from because the union protects them.

[andrew_eit]

" too much socialism"

This is a vague and exaggerated statement, it makes you sound quite biased. If we're going to argue in that direction then let me point out that China has "way more socialism" (as you put it) than Europe, yet their lightening speed in making advancements in their private tech sector, digitalisation and even scientific research such as computer vision and quantum computing puts even the US to shame.

"People here don't want to be part of a company that does exciting things"

Absolutely false. Have you ever spoken to anyone at a German car company? They live and die for the pride they have working with their "team". Same goes for other Mittelstand companies, employees tend to be very loyal and have a personal relationship with their company and product, even if it is as simple as a company making world-class pencils. Maybe this is because of all the "socialism" (i.e. reasonable amount of time off and workers rights and being treated like a human with a personal life)

That is not to say that there aren't groups of long-tenured 20 year+ employees at such corporations who occupy a cushy job with almost no chance of being fired. Yes they exist, and I've met them.

But I think you're trying to equate the mindset in Europe to the American ideal of the individual person doing something that 'CHANGES THE WORLD'. Europeans certainly dream and want to do exciting things that make the world a better place, but the way to do this isn't exclusively held by this radical capitalist view (I say this as a believer capitalism) that one man/woman with an idea can change the world. I think we take on a more longer-term view, taking the time to research, perfect one's craft and slowly make small steps of change that last longer. And I think this view and mindset is what drives so much medical and scientific innovation in Europe.

[kkjjkgjjgg]

OK point taken about China, even though I think it still is not clear how much they innovate by themselves and much they are just stealing, and how much they really still are socialist.

It seems they have a kind of dictatorship bent on exploiting their population to get ahead. Another example perhaps were the nazis who also made a lot of technical advances like building the first rockets. They presumably throw a lot of resources (manpower) at things, too, because they don't care about the individual.

The European variant of socialism is more like a class of leeches that simply wants to extract as much energy as possible from the unsuspecting population.

I live in Germany and I have worked for a big car company as a contractor. I think many big companies are very slow moving and excitement for new ideas is difficult in such an environment. Even the product I was working on was basically a huge expenditure to be able to comply with some government regulation (privacy laws regarding employee monitoring).

Yes, there are people here in Germany who are excited about technology and startups. They have to fight an uphill battle against all the regulation, though. And any successful company is regarded with suspicion. Also government jobs are very popular as they come with many perks. Here in Germany it might not yet be as bad as in other European countries, but the class of government employees is growing. A couple of years ago I read about Greece that ALL the elite students did expect to get comfortable government jobs. That would of course also suck away talent from innovative companies.

My other comment about the Gigafactories in Texas and Berlin was downvoted for some reason, but I really am curious. Which one will be finished first? The one in Texas was started at a later stage. I live nearby the Berlin one, so I hear a lot about the ridiculous regulation struggles they face.

Then again I read that some Tesla employee was awarded north of 100 million dollars because his colleagues supposedly called him racist things. So I worry about the future of the US, too,

[andrew_eit]

I agree with you actually about the Gigafactories and it won't surprise me if the Texas one finishes first.

And I also live in Germany and have worked for car companies as a contractor :) And believe me I am also quite exhausted by the slowness of so much of the industry and the old white opas running things. But at the same time I get the feeling that university-educated younger members of society really want this to change and want to participate actively in shaping their country.

I think I usually like to counter extreme positions for either approach (US-capitalist, fast moving approach vs German/European slower, more left leaning approach). I think our views might actually be quite similar, and I have actually been considering what life might be like in the US where people seem to really have no limits to their ambition and drive. I guess I just see both systems as useful in some ways and limited in others. I like the fact that in Germany, everyone has access to good education, health and a social safety net, and I am ok with that coming at the cost of maybe the country not being as disruptively innovative as it otherwise could be. On the other hand, I am extremely glad a place like the US exists, where some random south african dude can waltz into the Rocketry industry and the auto industry and simultaneously turn both on their heads in less than 2 decades.

Also what you said about Greece is pretty shocking. To be fair, it's very possible that in general the amount of people who really want to put their own blood, sweat and tears into in endeavour is actually quite small. A lot of people I know just want a contented life, which is fine, but I'd rather not have that at the expense of a meaningful, exciting career.