Early December it was that time again, LeWeb in Paris. The old city received the young congress with old and young in spirit. And there we saw the old man who was getting older, the senior woman who was young and the young man who turned out to be old.
Soporific content, full of open doors and clichés
The stiff Israeli Yossi Vardi made no effort to absorb the audience. The content was soporific, the form old list to data -fashioned. His story was full of obvious clichés. The only time his hands were visible was at the beginning, when he pulled up his pants. Then they disappeared into his pockets and they would stay there. The audience became apathetic and Yossi wondered what was going on. “Something is wrong here, with me or you. And it must be you because I cannot be wrong.” Indignantly, he strode away, never to return.
And there was Neelie Kroes , at the end of the second day. Kroes was interviewed by host Loïc Le Meur . She didn't come empty-handed, she came with a European pot of one hundred million euros. "So that's no coffee money." The aim of the money is to encourage tech youngsters to start and stay in Europe. The interview took a nice turn when she started asking him the questions. What would you like to see change in Europe now, the European Commissioner asked. Loïc talked about the hopeless regulations, the labor market that is much more flexible in America and the impossibly complicated VAT structure and about the difference in entrepreneurship. In Europe youngsters look for a job, in America they make one.
Those young people in Europe do want to, Kroes said, but it is mainly the older ones who cling to existing structures and protectionist measures. She told about a meeting, years ago. Two young participants in a start-up competition, who told each other all their secrets. “Is it wise to tell your competitor everything?”, she asked. “Madam, you are hopelessly old-fashioned,” the two said in unison. That was the wisest lesson she had ever received, characteristic of the new economy is that you share with each other.