> CA is probably more important by itself than all of Europe.
I recall reading (years ago) that "If California were an independent country, it would be the sixth-largest in the world"... Which would still (at least at the time) put it behind Germany. So, faaar from "more important by itself than all of Europe".
> Even PA or GA are heavy hitters that would smoke most similarly sized EU countries.
Given how wrong you are about California above, I very much doubt this one.
Also, in IT or CS, a state like TX or CA are more prominent than any European one. CA is probably more important by itself than all of Europe. Even PA or GA are heavy hitters that would smoke most similarly sized EU countries.