David Heinemeier Hansson writes about the EU law on technology legislation. He is right that the cookie banner laws have led to this awful way where we must wrestle through consent forms while browsing the web. And yes, he is right:

Europe is in desperate need for a radical rethink on how it legislates tech. The amount of squandered potential from smart, capable entrepreneurs on the old continent is tragic. It needn’t be like this. But if you want different outcomes, you have to start doing different things.

He goes on

So little of the core tech innovation that’s driving the future, in AI or otherwise, is happening in Europe. And when it does happen there, it’s usually just incubation, which then heads for America or elsewhere as soon as its ready to make a real impact on the world.

I’m not sure where elsewhere would be. More importantly, there is more nuance to this state of affairs.

America is leading in technology but also in creating technological waste or the enshittification of technology. At least there is a body on this planet that puts boundaries on what monopolistic tech companies can do to citizens. That body is not the US government; it is the EU government. Yes, there is a lot to say about it, but you can state that the EU is protecting its citizens.

Furthermore, DHH could adopt a more critical stance towards the IT industry. While IT became a consumer product, companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Facebook have shown that they do not always act in the best interests of their customers, to say the least. Legislation is not just a socialist or communist necessity, but a fundamental requirement for the proper functioning of capitalism. This is particularly true in the US, where the excessive focus on stockholder value has led to a decline in company ethics.

PS Just this morning, I read that US antitrust laws are working against Google’s anticompetitive behavior.