A growing chorus of concern is being voiced within Germany regarding Europe’s escalating digital dependence on the United States, with tech entrepreneur Ralph Dommermuth delivering a stark warning about the potential ramifications. In an interview with Focus magazine, Dommermuth articulated a reality where U.S. corporations now dominate the entire digital value chain – encompassing everything from chip design and server infrastructure to cloud platforms, artificial intelligence models, online marketplaces and core applications.
The entrepreneur argues that this near-total reliance is resulting in a significant loss of digital economic value for both Germany and Europe. The prospect of a second term for Donald Trump has particularly amplified these anxieties, prompting critical questioning about the potential for this dependence to be leveraged against European interests.
Dommermuth advocates for a decisive shift toward greater digital sovereignty, beginning with the establishment of clearly defined criteria for independence. Echoing the practices employed by the United States – where government procurement serves as a crucial anchor for domestic tech – he proposes incentivizing the use of European-owned and controlled cloud computing facilities for applications reaching specific revenue thresholds.
However, his assessment is notably pessimistic. Dommermuth contends that a large-scale, unified effort to redress the imbalance is unrealistic, citing a lack of both political will and financial resources within Germany and across Europe. He characterizes the current situation as a consequence of years of complacency, where concerns regarding questionable tax practices and privacy violations by U.S. corporations were routinely dismissed. These omissions, he insists, have empowered U.S. tech giants, who now appear comfortable aligning themselves with a Trump administration demonstrably committed to upholding their dominant position. “The genie is out of the bottle” Dommermuth concludes, offering his warning as a vital wake-up call for policymakers. The long-term implications for European economic autonomy and indeed national security, are now a pressing and potentially irreversible concern.
