Marc Andreessen: Europe isn't just falling behind on AI, it 'wants to be left behind'
Hesamation · x · 2026-10-16
Marc Andreessen delivered a blunt assessment of Europe's tech ecosystem, saying the continent seems "determined to be left behind."
- He cited data: 25 years ago roughly 15 of the world's 50 biggest tech companies were European; today it's "basically down to Spotify."
- He argued the EU's structure is designed to impose controls and stop these technologies, and that Europe has deliberately disarmed and turned away from technology, progress and capitalism for decades.
- Europe, he said, would be happy if AI never happened inside the EU, if social media didn't exist, and would be "quite happy to shut off the internet." He's skeptical of hopes that France or others can reverse the trend.
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