Google Cites UK’s “Open and Connected Economy”, Ignores “Digital Single Market”

During the referendum Remain campaigners made much of the importance of the “Digital Single Market”. Chi Onwurah, Labour’s Shadow Digital Minister, claimed that it was essential for tech businesses that Britain stayed in the EU’s “Digital Single Market”. She claimed there was “nearly unanimous concern across small tech businesses”. In Guido’s experience most small tech entrepreneurs thought the EU was totally irrelevant to their business needs.

Yesterday we learnt that the world’s biggest digital firm doesn’t care about being in the “Digital Single Market” either. Google’s announcement of a £1 billion extra investment and 3,000 more jobs is a doubling of its bet on Britain to be the dominant digital nation in Europe, CEO Sundar Pichai cited Britain’s “open and connected economy”. It also signals that the “Digital Single Market” is not really attractive to them, it is really just a common regulatory zone. If we know the EU it will be an over-regulated, subsidy ridden, dirigiste failure.

*Kamal Ahmed’s BBC report of this is almost a #DespiteBrexit parody.

mdi-timer 16 November 2016 @ 10:17 16 Nov 2016 @ 10:17 mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-comment View Comments
Google Backing Brexit Britain

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Google investing billions in Britain…

“The innovation we see here, the talent we have available here and how on the cutting edge of technology we are able to be here makes it an incredible place for us to invest. We do value how open and connected it is and we can bring in talent from anywhere in the world and we value those attributes and we are optimistic that those will stay true over time.”

mdi-timer 16 November 2016 @ 10:08 16 Nov 2016 @ 10:08 mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-comment View Comments