Europe has more international software than any other region besides the US and China. Such as
- Telegram messaging app, originally created in Europe
- Yandex search engine
- Bolt ridesharing app
- Protonmail email service
- TomTom mapping service
- Dailymotion video service
- Vivaldi browser
- Linux OS (originated in Europe)
Compared to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc. it certainly has more. What is impressive about Europe? It does all this without a protected market. Most Chinese software companies are only successful due to a protected market. There's really no telling how well they would have done if the market was not totally protected. Europe is #2 in the world in terms of software/social media outside their own market while not having a protected market.
As a Chinese American, I can more easily use European software than any other non-American software.
The only reason China has software companies is due to the domestic market. It has nothing available for the international market, except maybe UC Browser in Indonesia and TikTok whose future is in question to say the least. Further, using European software is safer since Europe maintained good relations with the US, it's less likely to get banned if it's successful.
If you are an entrepreneur in China, if you want to develop software for the international market, it has to go on the App Store or GPS. You will realize there is the threat of being banned, and this will be a de-motivating factor. The rewards for you will be lower than entrepreneurs in other countries. That puts you at a disadvantage. You have to consider politics, they don't. If you develop only for the domestic market, then you have a lower ceiling on revenue than other software companies. Again, that puts you at a disadvantage. Further, you face less competitive pressures due to only competing in a protected market. While that may feel good at first, over the long run it will only result in tolerance for a lower quality product, which is not good.
