TL;DR
Global attempts to break free from US big tech keep failing because they never tackle the core issue of intellectual monopolization and structural technological dependence.
In 2024, a faulty cybersecurity update crashed millions of Windows devices worldwide, disrupting airports, banks, hospitals, and other critical services. It exposed how deeply the world depends on big tech.
Governments are trying to reclaim control by building their own digital infrastructure, but with limited success. The EU, for example, invests heavily in AI facilities, yet its startups still rely on US clouds. Brazil and India have similar plans, but the underlying technology remains American.
China is often seen as a success story, but its model also fails to break intellectual monopolies, instead imitating US tech. Chinese firms are called 'fast followers', scaling up existing discoveries quickly but rarely inventing from scratch.
Even if China leaps ahead, it would merely reshuffle ruling powers, not win victory for the majority. Its model mirrors the US-dominated system too closely to be celebrated or replicated.
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