[haukem]

Is this really a problem with European companies or more a problem with older companies which didn't need much software 30 years ago?

Are Ford and General Motors better at this than the European car manufacturers?

Maybe it is also caused by people staying very long at their employer in Europe. It is not uncommon to stay till retirement after you got into a big cooperation.

[gumby]

Well I followed the Berlin startup scene until I couldn’t bear it any more. Most of the “startups” were actually just small businesses that did business on the web. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but a startup and a small business are different animals.

Ford and GM seem to have had a “Come to $DIETY” moment but yes, it remains to be seen if they will get their act together.

Ironically it was Mercedes who was the first to open an office in Palo Alto back in the mid 90s. It was considered absurd at the time, but all the other car companies now have offices in the Valley. But none of them are integral to their parent companies. Mercedes squandered their lead.