[layer8]

There is/was still some important innovation coming out of Germany from time to time. For example, the first LCD display and the first chip card were invented in Germany, and the MP3 format was developed in Germany. Not a whole lot overall though.

[tannhaeuser]

Optics for lithographic processes and other critical components for ASML's machines are developed and produced by Zeiss in Germany AFAIK (these things project beams into structures measured in terms of a couple Angstroms). Also world-market leader for high-grade SiO and other chemicals for wafers is German last I checked.

[LeanderK]

you can't be serious, germany is a very innovative country. Like who would label as innovate except the US? For example, it creates a LOT of patents, second behind only the US. It is a leading country for industrial research of various kinds, from the mechanical industry to material science. It is the foreign country with the biggest presence of industrial research for american companies, if you want to make the comparison (a fact I remember, so take it with a grain of salt). As a recent high-tech example one of the two mRNA vaccines for covid was created in germany from BioNTech, and one of the other leading mRNA company besides Moderna is also in germany. Granted, it's not performing well in the number of startups created and the software industry is not as strong, but other indicators are doing very well. Also, basic research in comparison to industrial is very competitive, a lot of papers get produced and cited every year. Germany invests a lot of the GDP back into R&D and is one of the leading countries by this metric.

Germanys economy is just not as consumer driven anymore, as many former industry giants crumbled from the competition form asia, so you don't really interact much with it. But if you look at the metrics instead of personal impressions they have their strengths. You don't really export so much by producing bad, non-innovative products.