What a great hot take on a whole continent...

Oh well, carry on, it's just sad to have to read this kind of bullshit on HN.

The Open App Markets Act and the American Innovation and Choice Online Act are currently making their way through the House.

What does that have to do with the fact that EU produces virtually nothing relative to its size and economy in terms of tech? They wouldn't have to be constantly passing these knee-capping regulations if they had a competitive industry of their own to spread out the market share. It's downright embarrassing.

The point is, it's rather shortsighted to call out the EU for regulating tech when the U.S. and many other governments are actively doing so as well.

The difference is that the US is the market where these companies are born and develop their innovation so it makes sense for regulation to be passed as needed. The EU is nothing but a leech. It could focus on actually creating competition which would naturally resolve the problem but no, it chooses the easy way out by passing regulation year after year instead.

It is not a leech to create legislation that is intended to act as consumer protection for your citizens. Quite the opposite actually. You may argue that the legislation doesn't do what it claims to do, but it makes no sense to call them a leech when Apple is operating in their market, and thus subject to the rules of their market.

Perhaps you may think of the EU as Apple and the common market as the App Store if it will make it any more palatable.

You could create your own products and services that would naturally drive competition in the market which would benefit the entire world instead of relying on someone else to do the hard work just so you can whine about how it’s done. Europe does very little that does not benefit itself exclusively. In short, a leech.

Europe creates consumers, who buy and use goods and services. They are literally providing something of value to Apple and tech companies.

Value is not competition in the market.

These amazing companies can just leave the EU as we are just a leech. Ah no, they love money too much to leave.

Why are you so personally offended by all of this? It's rather bizarre to see so much vitriol against a whole continent with no nuance, it's actually pretty fucking exhausting.

It’s even more exhausting having products and services I like handicapped by regulation because an entire developed continent is unable to produce any competition to contribute to the industry. What are you even doing over there? It’s like your politicians are the only ones at work.

We are all drinking wine, eating cheese and taking vacations.

It isn't like the USA influences a lot of the fucking world with its soft power, right? Coming from another country in the Americas it's pretty fucking ridiculous for me to read from someone in SF/Bay Area complaining about how exhausting it is that your products and services will suffer some regulation. A whole continent down south from where you live is under the grips of undue influence from your little paradise, kneecapping whole governments and societies to bend to its will.

A little regulation over monopolistic forces is the bare minimum, it's nice to see how others can force your hand sometimes, no?