McAfee: EU Tech Regulation Has Left European Productivity 20% Behind the US
amcafee · x · 2026-10-01
Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist at MIT Sloan and co-founder of AI startup Workhelix, argues in Foreign Affairs that EU technology regulation is inadvertently stifling European competitiveness and innovation.
Key points:
- Around 2000, EU labor productivity neared 95% of US levels; the trend has since reversed, and it now sits about 20% below the US.
- A major cause is Europe's failure to join the digital revolution: only two of the world's 100 most valuable high-tech companies are European.
- McAfee contends Brussels' regulatory approach is the real barrier and explores how Europe could revive its economy.
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