Europe and the Cloud

Hey,

I’m Fabian – engineer, entrepreneur, and European citizen residing in Germany.

For over 10 years, I’ve been part of the international tech scene with a clear focus: think globally, act locally. I hold a formal degree in computer science and technology, but I’ve always been self-taught, curious, open to new things, and pragmatic in dealing with the real world.

In 2017, I quit my job and founded a consulting company for Cloud-native technologies – mainly DevOps, but also custom software development, team building, venture building, and product development.

Over the past 5 years, this has led to the creation of several companies and digital products. More importantly, it has given me a diverse perspective on the European tech landscape. Often, I feel the urge to leave the country to work where culture and legislation offer more freedom to innovative people. But at the end of the day, I really enjoy being here in Europe.

Think Globally

It’s quickly apparent that we love to copy: Successful TV formats and tech business models often originate in the USA and are adapted for the European market. Examples: “The Voice,” “Germany’s Next Topmodel,” or “Zalando” – all based on US models.

This culture of copying has unfortunately extended to the technology sector.

My personal pain point is Cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes, Cloud services, and Open Source Software. These come from a new way of thinking and working that originated “across the Atlantic” and has massively accelerated innovation in nearly all software-based industries.

But these technologies bring change: New ways of thinking, new operational models, new business models, new culture, new power dynamics.

These technologies arrived in Europe about 8 years ago – first AWS, then Docker, then Kubernetes. Today, many European companies are trying to replicate the speed and success of AWS or rethink software distribution.

However, unlike TV shows, technology requires not only craftsmanship but also a legal and cultural environment – and ours is different.

Fail Locally

1. We separate technology from culture. In Europe, we lack the culture to accept failure as part of progress. We also rarely share knowledge if we can keep it to ourselves. No wonder SAP is the only globally relevant German software provider.
2. We force new technologies into old industrial mindsets. Everything must be safe, compliance-compliant, and planned from the start. But true innovation comes from quick, structured failure and repeated learning – something we can hardly do.
3. We are trapped in a capitalist corporate system. Capitalism itself is not the problem. But: Money does not fund innovation; innovation generates money. In Germany, we demand immediate ROI for every idea. This is due to 80 years of MBA-driven industrial planning.

For physical products, this makes sense. But digital products follow different rules: The greatest resource is people. Good ideas and software can be replicated almost for free.

Our economic system cannot handle “trial and error” as an engine for innovation. Older generations try to implement new ideas with old ways of thinking – leading to technical and social debt.

What Happened?

Every generation thinks it’s smarter. But software has exponentially scaled knowledge and skills. Since the 90s, there has been a huge knowledge gap between Boomers and Gen Z.

In the past: Only with education and years of experience could you build a career. Today: A Udemy course is enough to build enterprise software.

Information spreads in seconds today. This overwhelms traditional institutions. “Software is eating the world” is not a cliché but a reality.

Yet locally, “gray beards” still dominate the executive floors – and they can’t keep up with the pace. Experience doesn’t come with age but through real experiences. Those who only plan but don’t execute don’t gain relevant experience in a constantly changing world.

Even as a Digital Native, I often find it difficult to turn what I’ve learned into actions before the next wave of innovation overtakes everything again. The older generation hardly stands a chance.

In the past, knowledge was distributed centrally (schools, universities, publishers). Today, everyone is their own news source. Education systems are losing ground to platforms like YouTube and TikTok (I’ve learned a lot there myself).

Wasn’t This About the Cloud?

Yes. It’s about Cloud infrastructure.

AWS has established a new way of operating software. In Europe, we’ve only copied the obvious surfaces but haven’t understood what truly makes Amazon successful.

Today, we are developing into “Fortress Europe” – instead of standing together, we isolate ourselves. Sovereignty is important, but we’ve forgotten how to actively shape change.

I Believe:

• We need to own and understand technologies, not just use them.
• We need to build our own digital infrastructures that are technically competitive.
• We need to fill leadership roles with people who have real digital experience.
• We need to allow failure and stop trying to control everything.
• We must not only focus on profit but enable sustainable financing.
• We need to link better data protection laws with real alternatives.
• We need to stop thinking that a “secure job” is a future-proof model.
• We need to modernize our education – curricula from the 90s are no longer sufficient.
• We need to understand: The Cloud is “just someone else’s computer” – and we could build our own.
• We need to realize: “New Work” was yesterday – we are heading towards “No Work”. Traditional employment models will die first in the knowledge sector.
• We need to start working together on open, sustainable solutions. To motivate people to collaborate, you must offer meaning and participation.

I dedicate a large part of my life to improving this situation.

By building companies off the mainstream and promoting modern working conditions, I hope to inspire others to leave their own mark.

Translated from English